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THE 


AUTHENTIC    REPORT 


OF   I'Hfc 


DISCUSSION, 

WHICH    TOOK    PLACE    AT 

THE  LECTURE-ROOMOFTHE  DUBLIN  INSTITUTION 

BETWEEN 

THE  REV.  THOMAS  MAGUIRE, 


AND 


THE  REV.  RICHARD  T.  P.  POPE  * 


If 


W^-' 


D.  &  J.  SADLIER, 

164  WILLIAM  STREET,  NZW  Yofe. 

128    FEDERAL    STREET,     B  O  S  T  O  N  i; 
m  NOTRE  DAATK  STREFT   MONTRE^u!, 
1859. 


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INTRODUCTOilY  STATEMExVT 


As  introductory  to  the  Report  of  the  important  Controversial 
Discussion  between  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Pope  and  Maguiie,  we 
feel  it  our  duty  to  lay  before  the  Public  the  arrangements  which 
preceded  the  meetings  for  the  above  object. 

A  meeting  was  held  on  Wednesday,  the  11th  of  April,  1827, 
at  the  house  of  Mr.  Tims,  in  Grafton  street,  at  which  Messrs. 
Pope  and  Maguire  were  present ;  when  it  was  resolved,  that  as 
the  points  about  to  be  discussed  equally  affected  the  Protestant 
and  Roman  Catholic  Churches,  so  there  should  be  s  n  equality 
in  every  particular,  in  order  that  the  public,  on  the  aftjr  consid- 
eration, might  be  satisfied  that  tlve  Discussion  had  been  conducted 
in  the  most  impartial  manner,  and  entered  upon  with  tie  spirit  of 
kindness  and  mutual  good  feeling. 

After  several  meetings,  in  which  we  have  the  gratification  to 
say,  every  disposition  was  evinced  on  both  sides  to  act  with 
liberality  and  candor,  while  at  the  same  time  principle  was  upheld 
with  uncompromising  steadiness,  the  Reverend  Gentlemen  having 
finally  settled  the  points  for  discussion,  and  the  uniJersigned, 
definitely  and  with  their  entire  approbation,  having  arranged  the 
preliminaries,  the  day  of  meeting  was  fixed  for  the  IStlj  dny  of 
April.  From  the  impossibility  of  procuring  the  Rotunda  for  six 
successive  days,  (the  shortest  time  the  discussion  cciuld  last,) 
and  no  more  spacious  or  equally  commodious  place  for  meeting 
presenting  itself,  the  Lecture-room  of  the  Dublin  Iinstnution, 
Sackville  street,  was  taken ;  and  in  the  result  manifested  that,  as 
to  situation,  neeessiiy  bad  compeiled,  what  judgment  liitimatei? 
opp roved 


INTRODUCTORY    STATEMENT. 

The  preliminaries  entered  into  were  as  follows : 

will  close  at  kmo'cCt         '"'"'""  ""^  *"  «'^'  <'«y.  "W^h 
^V.  TheDiacussiontobe  Ii™,ed  .o  three  points  b^  each 

MR.  POPE, 
isl.  Infallibility;  2d.  Purgato^;  3d.  Tnu»ubsU.„tiation. 

MR.  MAGUIRE. 

;\^^^^s'tife-!L-^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

V.  The  points  to  be  discussed  in  the  following  order: 


1st  day, 
2d  do. 
3d  do. 
4th  do. 
6th  do. 
6th  do. 


Mr.  Pope,  1st  point. 

Mr.  Maguire,  do. 

Mr.  Pope,  2d  point. 

Mr.  Maguire,  do. 

Mr.  Pope,  3d  point. 
VI    Wr.*  .u  Mr.  Maguire,  do. 

Vli    Nn  r'"    -^^  ^"?  P°'"^  *°  ^^  spoken  to  at  a  time 

IT    ..'^       ''"  °'°'"'8'''«''>'3'nessof  theday. 
the  ,„m  of""'""'"  "'  ''y^i'^-'-oMyMM.h.Ul  be  charged 

Reporter  for  each  pS«y.;£e7„:p,„-dt:h«S,btLVL^^^ 


INTRODUCTORY    STATEMENT.  S 

for  the  accuracy  of  the  reports  that  shall  be  made  of  the  speeches, 
and  entire  business  of  the  discussion.* 

XL  Two  door-keepers  to  be  provided,  one  Roman  Catholic 
and  one  Protestant. 

XII.  No  indication  to  be  admitted  of  approbation  or  disaporo- 
bation.  *^*^ 

XIII.  The  authorised  copy  of  the  speeches  to  be  authenticated 
by  the  signatures  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pope,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Maguire. 

T.  Maguire,  p.  M.  Singer, 

RicHiiitD  T.  P.  Pope,        John  Lawless. 
II. 
Further  Preliminary  Regulations  for  the  Proceedings  of  the  Meeting- 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pope,  and  Red.  Mr.  Maguire,  agreed  to  by  tht 
undersigned,  on  the  part  of  the  above  Gentlemen  respectively. 
I.  No  pyson  whatever  to  be  permitted  to  address  the  meeamr 
but  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pope,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Maguire. 

•V*  u^  n'^^'^'  °^  ^®  auditory  to  interfere  in  anv  way  whijlever 
with  the  Rev.  Gentlemen  above  named,  or  w'ith  the  subject 
matter  of  the  discussion. 

III.  The  undersigned  to  be  at  liberty  to  explain  any  part  of 
the  preliminary  arrangements,  if  called  upon  to  do  so  from  the 
Chair. 

i  V.  The  Chairmen  are  requested  to  prevent  any  manifestation 
of  approbation  or  disapprobation,  and  to  enforce  perfect  silence 
in  the  meeting.  ^ 

r»  Lf     ,o,.    /I    ..  P.  iE.  Singer, 

Duhhn,  ISlh  Apnl,  1827.  Jo„n  LawlesJ. 

III. 

Further  Articles  of  Agreement  entered  into  by  the  uhdersigned,  on 
the  part  of  Messrs.  Pope  and  Maguire. 

I.  The  parties  not  to  exceed  four  speeches  each  during  any 
one  day.  Merely  calling  on  the  opposite  party  for  proofs  not 
to  be  considered  as  a  speech. 

II.  Declining  to  speak  in  turn  by  either  party,  when  it  is  his 
rotation,  or  speaking  short  of  the  limited  period  of  half  an  hour 
to  be  considered  as  one  of  the  four  speeches  of  the  day. 

III.  The  business  of  each  day  to  close  after  each  pirty  has 
spoken,  or  had  the  opportunity  of  speaking/our  times,  although 
It  should  not  have  reached  the  hour  of  three  o'clock ;  it  being 
hereby  again  declared  that  agreeably  to  the  regulations  of  the 
12th  instant,  should  the  discussion  reach  three  o'clock,  the 
number  of  minutes  which  may  have  elaosed  after  elfiVAn  qVI^^It 
?fae  hour  fixed  for  commencing  the  discussion  on  each  day) 

•ndlwr!  ^^^^^'^f^^TPf'^^^^^^'^o^^on  wereMr.P.  D.  Hawi. 

1* 


\ 


W  IlfTRODUCTORr    BTATEMEKT. 

■hnlJ  be  added  to  the  time  allotted  to  the  last  speaker,  on  each 
day,  so  as  to  complete  his  half  hour,  should  he  desire  to  continue 
tor  that  time,  although  ouch  addition  shall  exceed  three  o'clock 

^o'n,/"?^-,"''""^''"-  P-  ^'  Singer, 

lOlh  Mtl,  1827.  John  Lawless. 

The  chairs  having  been  taken,  on  the  morning  of  the  19lh  of 
April  by  Admiral  Oliver,  as  ihe  Protestant,  and  Daniel 
U  CoNNELL,  LsQ,  OS  the  Roman  Catholic  Chairman,  the  latter 
briefly  observed,  '•  That  he  considered  it  necessary  to  state,  that 
the  Gentlemen  who  had  been  appointed  to  make  the  preliminary 
arrangements  would  read  the  particular  rules  by  which  the 
"meeting  was  to  be  governed;  and  as  ho  felt  assured  that  the 
mere  reading  of  the  rules  would  be  quite  sufficient  to  induce 
every  gentleman  to  comply  with  them,  he  would  not  make  any 
lurther  observations."  ^ 

The  friend  appointed  by  Mr.  Pope  having  been  then  called 
upon,  the  document  No.  2,  was  read,  as  containing  the  rules 
immediately  relating  to  the  meeting. 

The  undersigned,  in  making  the  foregoing  statement,  have 
dischargeda  duly  which  they  felt  to  be  incumbent  upon  them  ; 
and  they  have  to  express  their  gratification,  that  so  important  a 
discussion,  and  one  so  likely  to  excite  the  rnind  beyond  the  exact 
Jimits  of  discretion,  was  conducted  with  becoming  zeal,  but  at 
the  same  time  with  good  feeling,  and  a  conduct  suited  to  the 
momentous  business  in  hand.  They  ore  also  equally  gratified 
that  the  arrangements  which  they  entered  into,  were  guch  as  to 
give  satisfaction  to  the  auditory,  and  ensure  that  regularity  and 
•Hence  which  became  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion. 

P.  M.  SINGER, 
JOHN  LAWLESS. 


mJ-^fr'?^  ^Kr^u®?fP*'^/*'  *«  "^ent  Discuwion  between  Mr.  Pope  and 

K  niof  P"p.*'''ft'**>^  Messrs  Coyne,  Tims.  &  Curry,  is  alone  auLnUc. 

each  proof  sheet  having  received  ray  signature.  * 

June  14,  1827.  THOMAS  MAGUIRE. 

Philip  Dixon  Hardt, 

James  Sheridan. 


-„imSf*''''^^*'u.^u^P,°i;*°X*''®  "^^"*  Discussion  between  Mr.  Maguir. 

each  proof  sheet  having  received  my  signature.  ^ 

June  14, 1827.  RICHARD  T.  P.  POPE. 

Philip  Dixon  Hardt.  - 


CONTROVERSIAL  DISCUSSION 


First  Day.— April  19,  1827. 


BVIUECT.—The  InfallMUy  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Chwvh. 

The  Chair  having  been  taken  by  Admiral  Oliver  and  Mr. 
O'Connell,  and  the  particular  rules,  by  which  the  discussion  was 
to  be  governed,  read  l)y  Mr.  Singer. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Pope  rose,  and  said — Gentlemen,  I  need 
scarcely  rem:\rk,  that  we  are  a.-^sembled  here  ihis»  day,  fur  the 
discussion  of  the  most  important  subjects  which  can  possibly 
engage  the  human  uiiiid.  We  are  not  assembled  to  debate  h 
question  relative  to  the  politics  of  this  passing  scene — we  have 
not  come  here  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  matters  which  con- 
cern us  merely  as  the  inhabitants  of  this  lower  world  ;  but  to 
debate  topics  of  the  most  vital  consequence  to  us  as  immortal  and 
accountable  beings.  Let  us  then,  in  entering  on  this  momentous 
discussion,  divest  ourselves  of  every  party  feeling,  and  come  to 
the  considerfition  of  the  subject  before  us  with  minds  unbiassed 
and  unprejudiced.  And  here  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  this 
meeting  to  be  put  in  possession  of  the  circumstances  which  led 
to  the  present  discuss  on.  While  in  Longford,  in  November 
last,  I  received  a  letter  from  an  individual,  (whom  I  afterwards 
discovered  to  be  a  Roman  Catholic  of  no  inconsiderable  informa- 
tion) in  which  it  was  stated,  that  I  was  challenged  by  a  Roman 
Catholic  Clergyman  to  meet  him  in  public,  for  the  purpose  of 
discussing  the  points  of  difference  between  the  Protestant  and 
the  Rom  m  Catholic  churches  ;  and  that  [  had  then  a  fair  oppor- 
tunity of  defending  the  principles  which  I  maintaiuo.'  and  of 
exposing  in  the  face  of  the  world,  the  errors  of  the  church  of 
Rome,  if  any  such  errors  existed.  I  considered  it  Judicious  to 
wait,  until  the  challenge  should  reach  me  in  an  authentic  form 
In  a  day  or  two  afterwards,  I  saw  in  the  Weeklii  Register,  of 
the  '23d  [November,  an  account  of  an  Aggregate  Meeting  at 
Carrick-on-Shannon,  and  which  contained  u  speech  made  by 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Maguire,  in  which  wad  the  following  passiige :— 


\ 


8 


THE    INFALLIBILITY    OF 


Lot  the  advocates  of  such  a  system,  the  WoIfTos  and  the  Popet 
or  the  day,  bring  the  matter  to  an  issue,  and  I  chnllenge  WolfTe 
or  fope  to  meet  me  and  answer  the  question  of  the  Socinian 
and  prove  from  the  principles  of  private  judgment  that  he  is 
wrong;  or  .f  they  be  able  to  answer  the  question  in  nny  wav 
but  that  m  which  the  Catholic  church  answers  it,  I  will  my  elf 
become  a  B.bhcal.  and  go  throu^rh  (he  co.mtry  on  the  s  m7mi  . 
sion  as  they  are  on-but  they  will  not,  they  cannot." 

At  a  meeting  oj  the  Hibernian  Society,  which  took  place  on 
the  following  Tuesday,  I  commented  on  Ihe  Socinian  question 
Z'Tlt^  -I'ingness  to  meet  Mr.  Maguire,   and  r^^u'    ed 
that,  if  there  were  any  Roman  Catholics  at  the  meeting,  thev 
would  convey  my  answer  to  Mr.  Maguire.     Fearin-.,  ho^vever 

hal  Ul7rT:  '"'«^*^^  ^^^"P^  '"^  "°^'^^'  -^  being  anxious 
that  he  should  not  be  ignorant  of  my  readiness  to  meet  him,  I 

addressed  a  letter  to  the  Editor  of  fhe  Roscom^.on  and  Lellrim 
trazeite,  which,  after  treating  on  the  subject  of  the  Socinian 
controversy,  concludes  thus  :!-u  And  now  Sir,  in  conclusion 
I  beg  eave  to  state,  that  I  am  ready  to  discuss  the  suWec  of 
«J.a  letter,  or  the  Roman  Catholic  c'ontroversy  generol^with 
v"eC^v:ie^^^  Wna  elt 

Such,  then,  gentlemen,  was  my  acceptance   of  what  I   con- 
ceived to  be  a  challenge  from  Mr^  MagSire.     Some  t^    after 
inwhLhhr         Ik  '\^  .P'^'^ly  Register,  ^om  Mr.  Maguire   ' 

^t  Ca  rtk    ^"ilf  '^'   ^''^^''T^  '■'P^'"^  «^  ^  P«^t  of  his  speech 
a  Carrick-on-Shannon:-"  I  there  observed,"  he  says,  "  that  in 

meTthrRVr^"''  '''''r'''y  ^^  """^'  ^"^  -phistVof  argi? 
ment,  the  Bibl^.-men  stood  unrivalled;  but  that  were  I  to  meet 
the  arch-crusader  on  the  arena  of  polemical  disputation,  (and 
him  to  a  ?""'  ^TP^rf  "t  I  '"t-ded  for  you)  I  Luld  cinfi"" 
cr.r?o  •  T  "tf'  '^\^^°''"  objections,  of  which,  if  he  gave  a 
rasemT?;J,r"'-'^^  myself  would  become  a  Biblical,  and 
raise  my  feeble  voice  m  the  loud,  holy,  profitable  cry."  To- 
wards  the  conclusion  of  this  letter,  he  grounds  a  proposal  upon 
a  concession  which  I  could  never  gran?,  namely,  .^Lt  the  ob- 
jecu...  ,.♦  t..e  Socinian  remains  unanswered  and  unanswerable 

irpH^''!■'"''S  ''"'^  P'^"^/^"^^  °^P"^^^^  interpretation  alone  consid- 
ered).  H.s  proposal  was  as  follows  :-"  Should  you  have  the 
manlmess  to  make  this  necessary  admission,  which  I  must  insist 
upon  as  a  smegua  non,  I  shall  afford  you  ampler  canvass,  and  a 
banter ".^  "'  ""^'^f  ^h-ges  wLch  have  been,  and  now 
^hl^' l!?::^^:!  ^!^•"fV'^^ '^-^^^^^^  -.^^^^  Roman  Cathohc 
mnc77i  ^'■^'  """J  """ '"  ""''">'  ^''  ''''^''''^  whatever  three  you  deem 
most  glaring  and  untenable,  whilst  I,  in  my  turn,  shall  bring 
three  prime  charges  against  the  doctrines  of  your  church,  ^d 


THF.    ROMAN    CATIIOLIU    CHURCH. 


9 


thus  we  shall  he  both  phiintitT  ond  defendant  reciprocally."  In 
my  next  letter  t(»  Mr.  Maguire,  I  ob»erved,  **  It  ia  apparent  from 
your  own  report,  that  you  either  did  not  chhllcnge  me,  or  that 
you  have  retracted  the  challenge  ;  the  expression  '  were  I  to 
meet  the  arch-crusuder,'  conv<!ying  most  undoubtedly  a  very  dif» 
fertajt  meanini;  from  that  contained  in  the  words,  ♦  I  challenge 
Wolfle  or  Pope  to  meet  me,'  ai^cribcd  to  you  in  the  Register. 
I  here  didtinctly  call  upon  you  either  publicly  to  confess  that  you 
did  not  challenge  inc,  or  to  meet  me  for  public  discussion,  *Utrurn 
horum  mavis  uccipe.'  I  write  strongly,  but  not  in  the  spirit 
of  polemical  bravado."  I  shall  now  read  to  you  the  concluding 
paragraph  of  Mr.  Maguire's  last  letter :  '*  I  do  declare,  dis- 
tinctly, that  I  never  did  invite  you  to  u  viva  voce  disputation  ;— 
and  I  as  distinctly  declare,  that  1  no'v  accept  your  challenge 
and  will  meet  you  at  the  Rotunda,  in  Dublin."  He  says,  ho 
never  did  challenge  me — you,  gentlemen,  will  judge,  whether  I 
had  not  reason  to  consider  his  speech  reported  in  the  Regialer^ 
as  containing  a  challenge.  I  again  wrote  to  Mr.  Maguire,  and 
the  result  of  that  correspnndence  has  been,  t  «  after  an  amica- 
ble arrangement  of  preliminaries,  we  are  n)et  here  this  day  to 
discuss  the  various  subjects  which  have  been  agreed  upon  ;  and 
I  mo.^t  willingly  bear  testimony  to  the  good  feeling  which  has 
betn  evinced  by  my  reverend  opponent  and  his  friend. 

Permit  me  to  say,  gentlemen,  that  we  should  hail  the  appear- 
ance of  Mr.  Maguire  amongst  us  this  day,  as  exhibiting  a 
noble  display  of  independent  feeling  and  judgment.  I  say,  it  is  a 
noble  display  of  independent  feeling — it  is  manly  and  bold  io 
Mr.  Maguire  to  appear  here  to  advocate  his  principles  ;  espe- 
cially as  it  is  well  known  that  the  Roman  Catholic  Primate  of 
Ireland  has  publicly  expressed  his  disapprobation  of  such  a 
proceeding.  I  say,  then,  it  is  manly  and  bold  in  him,  circum- 
stanced as  he  is,  thus  to  come  forward  and  claim  his  privilege,  as 
an  intellectual  and  rational  being,  of  thinking  and  acting  foi 
himself.  The  present  meeting  is  certainly  one  of  a  very  peculiai 
character,  and  will  doubtless  be  regarded  as  a  memorable  event 
in  the  history  of  this  country.  We  have  on  the  one  hand  Dr. 
Curtis,  the  Titular  Primate,  expressing  his  disapprobation  of 'he 
proceedings ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  has  the  Roman  Catholic 
Archbishop  of  Dublin  interfered  to  prevent  Mr.  Maguire  from 
attending  here  this  day  ?  or  has  the  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  of 
Mr.  Maguire's  diocess  (Kilmore)  taken  any  notice  whatever  of 
the  extraordinary  circumstance  of  one  of  the  Clergy  disobey- 
ing the  wishes  of  the  Titular  Primate  ]  Gentlemen,  it  appears, 
that  neither  th§  Roman  Catholic  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  nor  the 
Roman  Catholic  Bishop  of  Kilmore,  has  interposed  their 
authority  in  the  business.   And  I  do  say,  that  by  their  silence  on 


10 


THE    INFALLIBILITT    OF 


1' 


the  subject  they  have  given  an  indirect  sanction  to  the  proceed- 
ing ;  for  they  possess  the  power  of  preventing  Mr.  Magiiiro 
from  attending,  and  that  power  they  have  no^t  exercised.     I 
beheye,  I  am  right,  in  stating  that  there  are  some  Roman  Catho- 
lic Clergymen  here  this  day.     I  hail  iheir  presence  amongst  us 
with  great  satisfaction,  as,  in  my  mind,  by  their  attendance,  they 
also  give  their  sanction  to  the  proceedings.     With   respect  to 
the  preliminaries,  I  have  one  observation  to  make— it  regards 
myself— it  is   thought  by  some,  that  I  possess  a  talent  for 
declamatory  speaking.     Supposing  this  to  be  the  case,  I  am  by 
the  arrangements  which  have  been  entered  into,  relative  to  the 
mode  m  which  th«  discussion  is  to  be  conducted,  precluded  from 
availing  myself  of  any  advantage  which  this  talent,  if  I  possess 
It,  might  give  me— as  it  has  been  agreed  upon  that  neither  my 
reverend  opponent  nor  myself  shall  be  allowed  to  address  the 
meeting  for  longer  than  half  an  hour  at  a  time— my  soarings 
must  be  contracted — my  pinions  must  be  fettered  down.     It  is 
not  by  flights  of  fancy  or  poetical  allusions  that  this  meeting  is 
to  be  swayed— argument  is  the  only  weapon  that  can  be  wielded 
here  this  day.     Wc  must  be  governed  by  the  only  unerring 
standard,— the  Word  of  God.     One  word  to  the  gentlemen  of 
the  public  Press— all  I  ask  is  justice— justice  alike  to  each  of 

us— let  our  principles  and  opinions  go  lairly  before  the  world 

let  the  world  scrutinize  and  examine  them,  and  then  give  its 
verdict — I  shall  not  at  present  occupy  more  of  your  time. 

Mr.  Maguire  rose,  and  spoke  to  the  following  effect :— Gen- 
tlemen—As  my  friend,  Mr.  P  jpe,  has  entered  into  a  very  long 
narrative,  touching  the  circumstances  that  have  led  to  the  pre- 
sent discussion,  it  will  not  be  considered  egotism  in  me,  if  1  give 
you  a  brief  sketch  of  them,  as  far  as  they  regard   myself,     i 
happened,  last  November,  to  come  to  the   town  of  Carrick-on- 
Shannon,  on  private  business  of  importance,  and  I  solemnly 
assure  you,  that  I  was  not  aware,  until  1  arrived  in  Carrick,  that  a 
meeting  of  the  Catholics  of  Leitrim  was  about  to  be  held  there. 
I  was  pressed  by  a  few  particular  friends  to  remain  for  the  meet- 
ing which  was  tixed  for  the  next  day  ;  and  on  attending  at  the 
meeting,  a  resolution  on  the  subject  of  education    was  put  into 
my  hands  to  move.     In   doing  so,  I   prefaced  it  with  a  few 
observations,  and  I  distinctly  recollect  saying,  that  my  great 
objection  to  the  disputations  upon  the  indiscriminate  circulation  of 
the  Scriptures  was,  that  they  all  ended  in  a  wordy  war,  and  mis- 
erable speechifying.     I  objected  to  that  course,  and  I  said-,  that 
on  the  contrary,  solid  argument,  logical  deduction,   and  close 
fighting  should  be  adopted.    I  went  on  to  say,  that  such  was  the 
coiirso  I  was  determined  to  pursue ;  and  that  were  I  (you  wilj 


<i-:^^. 


IE    ROMAN    CATHOLIC    CHURCH. 


11 


mtf  exprf'ssion  was  an  hypothetical  one)  to  meet  the 

pimself,  in  the  arena  of  polemical  disputation,  in- 

(ng  him  to  indulge  in  flights  of  fancy,  which  would 

5,  or  in  strains  of  eloquence  that  would  only  confuse, 

Confine  him  to  a  few  solid  objections,  such  as  that 

respecting  the  Socinian,  which,  if  he  would  satisfactorily  solve  to 
me,  I  would  myself  consent  to  become  a  Biblical.  You  will 
observe  that  my  expiession  was  put  hypotheticnily.  1  did  not 
say  th<it  I  rvould  meet  bin),  but  that  trwc  I  to  m«ct  him,  I  would 
avoid  liie  flights  of  fancy  and  speechifying,  and  confine  him  to 
a  few  solid  objections.  A  report  of  the  observations  which  I 
made  at  this  meeting  appeared  in  the  Weekly  Register,  and 
I  was  there  made  to  say  that  I  was  ready  to  meet  the  Popes, 
&c,  &c.  I  can  assure  this  assembly,  that  no  such  expression 
as  that  fell  from  me  on  that  occasion.  A  newspaper  controversy, 
the  necessary  consequence  of  a  misrepresentation  on  the 
part  of  Mr.  Pope,  ensued.  Mr.  Pope  addressed  a  long  letter 
to  me,  through  the  columns  of  the  Evening  Mail.  In  that 
letter  he  attempted  to  solve  the  objection  with  regard  to  the 
Socinian.  I  replied,  to  show  that  he  had  not  solved  that  question ; 
and  I  trust,  before  this  polemical  conflict  is  over,  to  prove  to  you 
that  he  has  not  solved  it,  and  that  he  never  will.  With  regard 
to  what  he  has  said  about  the  Roman  Catholic  Primate  of  Ire- 
land, it  would  have  been  more  dignitied  in  Mr.  Pope  to  be  silent 
on  that  point. — I  avoided  hearing  or  seeing  any  thing  from  my 
own  Bishop,  Dr.  O'Reilly.  Since  I  came  to  Dublin,  I  have 
not  received  any  communication  from  him,  verbal  or  written. — 
Ifl  have  thus  come  forward  in  this  public  place,  and  on  this 
solemn  occasion,  I  have  not  done  so  until  I  have  been  repeatedly 
challenged  tu  the  conflict.  A  number  of  persons  were  hired,  I 
know  not  by  whom,  and  sent  round  my  parish  with  green  bags 
containing  copies  of  the  challenge,  which  they  circulated  most 
industriously  in  every  possible  direction.  The  challenge  was 
put  into  every  cabin,  it  was  posted  upon  every  wall  in  the  county. 
I  Slate  these  circumstances  to  you,  as  they  will  form  with 
you  some  excuse  tor  the  appearance  here  this  day  of  a  man  who 
has  lived  amidst  the  bogs  of  Leitrim — a  man  who  has  been  the 
inhabitant  of  the  mountains,  and  who  never  before  addressed  an 
enhghtened  audience  like  the  present.  It  must  appear  to  you 
from  this  relation  of  facts,  that  it  was  no  overweening  desire  of 
notoriety  that  pressed  me  forward.  Over  me  Dr.  (Juitis  and 
Dr.  Murray  Exercise  no  direct  control ;  and  I  trust  that,  in  hold- 


Hjj^  a  v«»,.rri.:7<!tnTti  ill  II1J3  puuiu;  louiii,  i  uo  noi  involve    rnyseu  ^B 

in  a  breach  of  clerical  jurisdiction.  I  am  well  aware  that  the 
Roman  Catholic  Bishops  of  Ireland  never  will  recognize  the 
prio'Mplo  of  public  discussions  upon  matters  of  religion  in  thi>i 


THE    INFALLIBILITY    OP 

country -disturbed  as  it  is  by  moral,  polemical,  and  political  dif- 
ferences  and  conflicts.     I  disclaim,  I  deny,  with  uplifted  arms, 
any  thmg  like  an  indirect  sanction  of  these  proceedings  on  the 
part  of  the  Catholic  Prelates  as  mentioned  by  Mr.  Pope.  I  stand 
forward  here,  of  myself,  to  defend  my  religious  principles,  which 
have  grown  with  my  growth,  and  for  the  assertion  of  which  I 
am  ready,  if  called  upon,  to  lay  down  my  life.     These  princi- 
pies  1  am  determined  to  maintain,  unless  indeed  Mr.  Pope  shall 
convince  me  that  I  am  in  error.     If  I  be  convinced  that  I  am 
m  error,  I  am  ready  to  change  my  religious  opinions,  and  to 
adopt  whatever  creed  reason  might  in  that  case  point  out  as  pre- 
lerable  to  my  own.     Having  stated  so  much  with  respect  to  the 
challenge,  I  have  a  ^ew  words  to  say  with  respect  to  Dr.  Cur- 
tis.    It  may  not  be  inappropriate  here  to  remark,  that  thouch  I 
am  independent  of  the  control  of  Dr.  Curtis,  the  Roman  Catholic 
Primate  of  all  Ireland,  I  am  ready  to  listen  to  any  advice 
emanating  from  him,  with  respect  and  dutiful  attention.     I  am 
well  aware  that  obedience  is  one  of  the  great  and  principal  duties 
.of  the  Christian— I  know,  as  the  Apostle  has  it,  that  he  who 
refuses  to  obey  the  authorities  set  over  him  by  Divine  Provi- 
dence resisteththe  ordinances  of  God,  and  procureth  to  himself 
damnation.     I  would  not,  therefore,  disobey  my  superiors,  as,  in 
doing  so,  I  would  be  guilty  of  a  violation  of  moral  principle.    It 
may  not  be  out  of  place  for  me  to  mention  to  you  the  personal 
disadvantages  under  which  I  labor  on  the  present  occasion.     Mr. 
Pope  IS  an  old  practitioner  in  the  business  of  disputation.     He 
has  become,  by  habit,  eloquent  on  the  subject,  and  he  has  a  fatal 
facility  of  expressing  himself,  sufficient  to  make  any  cause  in 
his  hands  appear  plausible.     His  system  has  all  the  charms  of 
novelty  to  recommend  it— and  fashion,  we  all  know,  is  a  formid- 
able  temptation.     He  has  arrayed  in  his  favor  worldly  power 
and  influence.     He  has,  besides,  all  the  saints  and  sinners  of 
modern  times,  whose  pride  and  self-interest  will  secure  him 
attentive  ears.     He  knows  how  to  estimate  the  value  of  such 
influence.    I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  it  has  any  weight  with  him 
in  the  assertion  of  his  religious  principles.     I  solemnly  declare 
that  I  give  him  credit  for  sincerity.     But  I  have  one  complaint, 
and  a  serious  one,  to  make  against  him.     He  has  left  me  little 
or  no  ground  for  attack.     I  could  not  obtain  from  Mr.  Pope, 
without  difliculty,  a  profession  of  his  creed.    When  called  upon 
to  define  his  faith,  he  has  called  himself  a  Protestant.     Mr.  Pope 
protects  against  the  church  of  England— so  do  I.     He  protests 
against  the  church  of  Scotland— so  do  I.     Affainst  th*>  rhnvnh 

iJi^o'"^"^""^**  ^^  *•  -^g^'"^*  t^e  Greek  church— so  do  I. 
Mr.  Pope,  in  fact  protests  against  every  church,  but,  in  a  more 
especial  and  particular  manner,  does  he  protect  against  the 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 


13 


"errors"  of  Popery  ;  and  if  any  errors  do  exist  in  Popery,  I  am 
ready  to  protest  as  strongly  against  them  as  iMr.  Pope.     So  far 
I  am  equally  a  Protestant  with  Mr.  Pope,  and  my  Protestantism 
goes  as  far  as  his,  consisting,  as  it  does,  in  a  simple  negation  of 
Popery,  if  it  be  understood  in  the  sense  in  which  Mr.  Pope 
would  exhibit  it.     On  the  other  hand,  Mr.  Pope  has  the  whole 
range  of  Roman  Catholicism,  whence  to  select  three  favorite 
charges  against  my  known  and  established  principles.     Where 
are  the  points  which  I  am  to  select  against  him  ?     In  the  confes- 
sion of  faith  which  he  made  to  me,  he  admitted  the  doctrines  of 
the  Trinity,  the  Incarnation  and  Justification,  by  Faith  only. 
Now  there  is  not  one  of  those  principles  which  I  do  not  admit, 
except  the  word  "  only."     So  llir  it  is  difficult  for  me  to  select 
three  principal  charges  against  him.     It  is  true  that  Mr.  Pope 
has  volunteered  to  defend  two  points  which  he  does  not  entirely 
and  undoubtedly  believe,  but  which  he  has  the  kindness  to  sup 
port  against  me.     I  have  a  few  preliminary  observations  to  offer 
to  you  regarding  the   scriptural  proofs  of  the  existence  of  an 
infallible  church.     Mr.  Pope  is  not  the  advocate  of  any  church. 
I  avow  myself  the  child  and  champion  of  an  infallible  church. 
It  remains  for  you  to  see  whether  the  motives  of  credibility 
which  attach  me  to  that  church  are  defensible — it  remains  for 
you  to  judge  whether  the  doctrine,  that  Christ  established  a 
church  upon  earth,  and  endowed  it  with  infallibility,  be  grounded 
upon  scripture — be  consistent  with  the  primitive  faith  of  Chris- 
tianity— be  agreeable  to  common  reason  and  common  sense.    It 
is  easy  to  perceive,  that  he  who  denies  the  necesisity  of  bending 
to  a  spiritual  authority,  is  establishing  a  principle  latitudinarian 
and  revolutionary  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  words.     If  there 
exist  no  spiritual  authority  upon  earth,  to  which  man  is  to  yield 
obedience,  I  assert  that  every  act  of  rebellion  against  the  church 
and  against  the  state  is  the  admitted  and  unqualified  right  of 
every  inoividual.  If  the  principle  of  private  judgment  be  founded 
upon   the   law   of  nature,  or    upon  the  positive  law  of  God, 
there  can  be  no  limitation  of  the  right.     The  l.iw  has  made  no 
exception,  consequently  every  individual  has  a  right  (and  there 
is  no  exception,  either  in  religious  or  political  matters)  to  set  up 
his  private  judgment  against  the  laws  of  the  church  and  of  the 
comnumity.     It  was  such  principles  that  caused  t!     revolution 
in  England,  and  brought  a  king  to  the  block.     To  timilar  prin- 
ciples we  are  to  attribute  the  bloody  scenes  of  the  desolating 
j-evo'.ution  in  France.    Such  principles  have  involved  Germany 
in  the  darkest   Atheism.     I  uoid  in  my  hand  the  work  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Rose,  dedicated  to  the  Bishop  of  Chester,  in  which 
he  laments   the  state  of  the  churches  in  Germany,  with  the 
pathos  of  a  Jeremy — he  describes  them  as  plunged  in  the  darkest 


14 


THE    INFALLIBILITY    OP 


Atheiam.     Every  thing  in  the  scripture  is  explained  awny  there. 

Has  ofVuT  rL""'""'  P*^i';\«P»'^-  '-absurdly 'applied  tothrS 
ties  ot  our  Redeemer.  If  the  principle  of  private  iudament  be 
once  recogr.^ed  then  had  the  heretics  of  former  ^da/sTlr  us' 
Cenuthus   Maa.cheus,  &c,  as  good  a  right  to  the   exercise  of 

centuiy.  I  those  heretics  had  a  right  to  exercise  it,  upon  what 
prmc.ple  d.d  the  Catholic  church  condemn  them-cut  tlem  off 
tTeu'ed'^vi?"  ''u'  and  treat  them,  as  Christ  said  those  shall  be 
licans,  and  reprobates  upon  the  earth  ?     Mr.  Pope,  I  sunnose 

S"hr  t  f  i^  '''I  ^";"^"^'  ""^  *^-  ^^^»---"  -"rhj 

Eulh.  '^'^T^^'''  i^^  ^^'^'^^  had  a  right  to  condemn  Arius. 
Eutyches,  and  Manicheus,  and  every  other  heretic  and  heresy 
that  appeared  for  the  first  four  centu.ies  of  the  Christian  v^rl 

in  ,t  fi  ?''  t*^^^"^  ^  power  in  the  church  to  condemn  heresy 
in  the  first  century,  why  not  acknowledge  it  now  ?     Gentlemen 

lio  "Jh^^i!  ^"^  !"/«'•  "P«",'"y  P'-oofs  of  the  authority  of  the  Calho-' 
lie  church.  Mr.  Pope's  rules  of  faith  will  be  amply  discussed 
hereafter,  but  now  you  are  about  to  hear,  what,  to  some  of  you 
may  appear  the  antiquated  doctrine  of  church  authority,  which 
has  been  discarded  by  modern  Reformers  for  the  last  300  years. 

♦k  ^'■V^rur'""^''^"  ^"  ''^"  "P«"  ^••-  Maguire  for  proofs  of 
the  Infallibility  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

Mr.  Maguire.-I  shall  make  a  few  preliminary  observation, 
before  I  directly  enter  upon  the  subject.*^  Ift.e  unlimited  ri^ht 
ol  private  judgment  be  recognised,  then  will  a  seven-fold  shidd 
be  thrown  over  every  error,  however  impure-every  heresy, 
however  damnable-every  folly,  however  ridiculous.  It  will  be 
the  origin  of  every  species  of  madness,  violence,  and  fanati- 
cism.  What  will  each  of  the  heretics  say  ?  «  I  exercise  mv 
judgment  cousc.entiousiy  and  to  the  best  of  my  ability— I  have 
prayed  to  God  that  he  n.ight  enlighten  me  wilh  his  grace.  I 
have  taken  every  means  in  my  power  to  arrive  at  the  truth,  and 
my  decided  conviction  now  is  that  Christ  is  not  the  Son  of 
.h  \  /  j^"^^^0"'d/^«•lanism,  that  heresy  which  distracted  the 
church  of  Christ,  and  which,  if  the  protecting  influence  of  the 
Almighty  had  not  been  extended  to  his  church,  would  have 
erad.cated  every  Christian  principle,  and  sapped  the  foundation 

*hat  heavenly  and  noble  edifice,  become  justifiable.     How 

could   Mr.    Pniu.  hliiiTio    tlw.    A^; —  l        tit.,    n     .  ..  . 

.,„  •  ,  r- -■■"■■■  ..-  .x,.a,.  ;  -II.  rope  wouiu  appeal  to 
tae  .crip  ures-but  in  vain  he  would  appeal  to  the  scHptures 
against  the  obstinate  Arian  or  Socinian.  They  would  in  reply 
appeal  to  their  conscience— they  will  say  that'  they  have  read 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 


1« 


the  scriptures,  and  that  they  have  as  good  a  right  to  interpret 
their  meaning  a?  Mr.  Pope.  Can  Mr.  Pope,  who  recognizes 
the  principle  of  gospel  Hberty,  blame  them  for  their  conduct? 
Will  he,  in  this  regard,  violate  that  principle  which  is  the  boast 
of  the  Reformation?  Who  is  to  judge  between  Mr.  Pope  ^rid 
the  Socinian  or  Arian  ?  God  alone  can  be  their  judge,  and 
that  not  till  the  soul  is  separated  from  the  body.  Mr.  Pope  has 
called  upon  me  for  proofs  of  the  infallibility  of  the  church  of 
Rome.  I  beseech  you,  gentlemen,  for  the  tender  mercies  of 
God,  as  far  as  in  you  lies,  to  divest  yourselves  of  every  feeling, 
of  every  prejudice,  of  every  prepossession  in  favor  of  your  own 
opinions  that  have  been  dear  to  you,  and  to  weigh  in  the  honest 
balance  of  sincerity  the  princi[»les  which  I  shall  lay  down,  and 
which  I  shall  invariably  found  upon  texts  of  scriptuie,  and  upon 
the  authority  established  in  the  church  for  the  first  five  ages  of 
Christianity.  I  assure  you  I  do  hope,  with  the  blessing  of 
heaven,  and  by  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  make  some 
converts.  I  am  serious,  believe  me.  Protestants  are  not  in 
the  habit  of  examining  the  Roman  Catholic  religion.  The  very 
name  of  Popery  is  sufficient  to  frighten  them — the  basilisk  does 
not  appear  half  so  dangerous  in  their  eyes  as  Popery.  And  fot 
my  part  I  should  not  wonder  at  their  thinking  so,  if  Popery 
really  were  what  they  have  been  taught  to  believe  it  is.  It  is 
incumbent  on  you  then  to  commence  an  examination  of  the 
tenets  of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion.  The  first  text  to  which 
I  shall  refer  you,  is  taken  from  haiah^  lix,  21.  It  is  admitted 
by  Protestants,  that  the  inspired  writer  in  this  passage  spoke  of 
the  church  that  was  to  come. 

"  This  is  my  covenant  with  them,  saith  the  Lord ;  my  spirit  tiial  is  in  thee, 
and  my  words  that  I  liave  put  into  thy  mouth,  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy 
mouth,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  lliy  seed's 
seed,  saith  the  Lord,  from  henceforth  and  forever." 

But  I  need  not  dwell  at  length  upon  this  text,  as  I  am  fur- 
nished with  several  strong  and  conclusive  texts  in  the  New 

Testament. 

"  As  the  Father  has  sent  me,  I  also  send  you,"  says  the  Lonl,  addressing 
his  Apoftties.  Again — "  All  power  is  given  to  me  in  iieaven  and  in  eailli ; 
go  ve,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  in  the  nauic  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the  ;Son,  and  of  tiie  Holy  Ghost.  Teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  vou  :  and  lo  !  1  am  with  you  all  days 
even  to  »he  consummation  of  the  woM."— Matthew,  xxviii,  IS,  19,  90. 

ChKst  here  declares,  that  the  same  power  given  to  him  by 
t\ie  I .  >  i3r  he  communicates  to  his  Apostles  without  limitation, 
nioral  or  personal,  it  is  a  maxim  in  ethics,  Uhi  lex  non  dis- 
iingHil,  nee  nos  distinguere  dcbemiis.  The  Father  conferred 
upon  Christ  infallibility,  and  here  he  directly  communicates  all 
his  power  to  the  Apostles.     Perhaps  it  will  be  said,  that  it 


16 


THE     INFALLIBFLITY    OF 


rested  there,  and  was  to  cease  wiih  the  lives  of  the  Apostles 
t/Hnst  declares  the  contrary,  for  he  adds, 

"Lo!  1  am  with  you  ail  days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world." 
Were  the  Apostles  lo  live  for  ever,  or  rather  was  not  this 
power  to  be  communicated  to  their  representatives  on  earth, 
in  whose  persons  they  would  morally  live  for  ever?     St.  Pau 
writing  to  Timothy  says, 

„^"Jhe  church  of  the  living  God,  is  the  pillar  and  the  ground  of  trulh."- 
•  Again,  our  Saviour  says, 

„,»'"!!*!!"';,''?!;*''''.>■*'"' ''^"«'*'  »"e.and  he  that  despiseth  you  dcsDiscth 
me.  and  he  that  desp.seth  n.e,  despiseth  Him  that  sent  me/'-&  x,  ?6 

Also  St.  John,  iv,  6. 

"He  that  knoweth  God,  heareth  us,  he  that  is  not  of  God.  hearelh  ua  not 
by  this  we  know  the  spirit  of  truth,  and  the  spirit  of  error?'  ' 

Therefore,  those  who  did  not  hear  the  Apostles  preaching  and 
instructing,  were  branded  with  the  mark  of  the  spirit  of  error 
in  Mark,  xvi,  15,  16,  we  read, 

"He  saith  unto  them.  Go  ye  into  the  whole  world,  and  preach  the  aosnel 
to  every  creature  He  that  believelh  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved  •  fuxZ 
that  beljeveth  not,  shall  be  condemned."  ' 

Is  there,  I  would  ask,  any  thing  like  a  commandment  here  to 
give  the  scriptures  to  every  man,  woman,  and  child,  and  let 
them  interpret  them  as  they  might  please  ?— No.— But  if  "  he 
wdl  uoi  hear  the  church,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  the  heathen  and 
tne  pubhcan." 

1  ask  you,  iti  the  sincerity  of  your  hearts,  do  you  think  that 
,  Christ  would  thus  bind  mankind  in  obedience  to  an  authority 
which  could  lead  them  into  damnable  error?  Our  Lord  says' 
emphatically,  and  without  limitation  or  exception,  "he  that 
will  not  hear  the  church,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  the  heathen  and 
the  publican." 

This,  no  doubt,  will  appear  a  novel  doctrine  to  many  of  my 
hearers,  who  have  been  taught  to  recognize  no  authority  in  any 
church,  and  who  have  long  worshipped  the  idol  of  private 
judgment.     Again  we  read  in  Hebrews,  xiii,  17, 

your^stuW"'"^'"'''^^''^'""  ^"'^^  ^'*^*^''  '^^  ''""S  »«  render  an  accou.f  cf 

I  am  at  a  loss  to  discover  how  the  Prelates  would  be  oblio-ed 
to  render  an  account  of  our  souls  if  it  be  not  our  duty  to  obey 
iiiem  5  but  if,  on  liie  contrary,  we  may  read  the  scriptures  and 
interpret  them  at  our  own  risk,  must  it  follow  in  that  case,  as  a 
Decessary  con.sequence,  that  the  Bishops,  to  whom  we  acknow- 


THE    ROMAN    CATHOLIC    QHURCH, 


17 


ledge  no  obedience,  shall  be  accountable  for  tho  salvation  ci 
our  souls  1 

"  Oh !  Israel,  Israel,  destruction  is  thy  own — thy  help  is  only  in  me." 

How  can  the  Bishops  be  accountable  for  our  souls,  if  we  do 
not  make  them  our  spiritual  guides?  I  could  quote  twenty 
additional  passages  from  scripture  in  support  of  the  doctrine 
which  I  advocate,  as — 

•♦  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world"— "ye  are  the  salt  of  the  ear»h"— "  what- 
soever ye  shall  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven,"  &c,, 

I  ask  you,  in  the  unaffected  sincerity  of  a  Chriutian  heart,  if 
Christ  did  not  intend  to  bind  mankind  in  obeilience  to  his 
Church,  is  it  not  astonishing  that  he  should  have  |>ut  forward  in 
so  many  and  such  clear  texts  of  scripture,  the  authority  of  that 
church?  I  challenge  Mr.  Pope  to  show  me  a  single  dogma  in 
the  Christian  dispensation  more  clearly  revealed  in  scripture. 
I  affirm  that  he  could  not  prove  the  divinity  of  Christ  upon  texts 
so  clear — that  cardinal  dogma  of  Christianity  is  not  established 
upon  texts  so  plain,  so  natural,  and  so  obvious.  The  Plomilies 
of  the  church  of  England  tell  us  that  for  upwards  of  800  years, 
"  all  Christendom  was  involved  in  damnable  idolatry  and 
error."  Could  Christ  himself  leave  hundreds  of  millions  of 
men  for  900  years  in  error?  I  ask — would  he  lend  us  into  the 
belief  of  an  infallible  church,  possessing  not  infallibility  ?  Hav- 
ing said  so  much  upon  the  subject  of  infallibility,  let  me  now 
give  you  the  belief  of  the  first  ages  of  the  church  which  are 
admitted  by  all  Protestants,  and  even  by  Luther  himself  to  have 
taught  the  truth,  and  to  have  been  pure  in  doctrine.  The 
quotations  which  I  shall  here  make  from  the  Holy  Fathers  will 
go  before  the  learned  wtfrld — I  will  tell  the  page  and  the  book 
m  which  they  will  be  found — I  have  myself,  in  seven  instances, 
consulted  the  originals,  and  finding  them  so  correct,  I  can 
vouch  for  the  accuracy  of  the  other  quotations.  The  first 
authority  which  I  shall  quote  is  Irenaeus,  a  father  of  the  Latin 
church,  who  lived  in  the  second  century.  He  was  by  birth  a 
Greek,  and  his  work  in  the  original  is  lost,  but  a  Latin  transla- 
tion has  been  preserved. 

"  Things  being  made  thus  plain  (he  is  alluding  to  the  derivation  of  doc- 
trine  from  tlie  Apostles,)  it  is  not  from  others  that  truth  is  to  be  sought, 
which  IS  easily  learned  from  Ike  Church,  (or  in  the  words  of  the  original— 
quain  facile  est  ah  ecclesia  sumere.)  For  to  this  church  (ho  continues)  tis 
into  a  rich  repository,  the  Apostles  committed  whatever  is  divine  truth  ;  tiiat 
each  one,  if  so  inclined,  might  thence  draw  the  drink  of  life.     This  is  the 

tnmi   /if  It  fe  '      nil    ^tknk*   t^nnUn«.-\    k^.,^*      U  _    -1 J <l>...  Iff  *-• 

— i-  V -v~'  —••■«•••>  !•  v«»  iiiri:?  tiiusL  lit;  =!iu:iiit,-u  as  trtiivcs  ana  rooocrs.  ror 
what  ?  Should  there  be  any  dispute  on  a  point  of  small  moment,  must  not 
recourse  bo  had  to  the  most  ancient  churches,  where  the  Apostles  resided, 
and  f.om  them  collect  the  Uall\l"—^iiv.  Heres.  lib.  m  cap.  iv.. pa<»e  20"^ 
Ed.  Oxonil  1702.  k-     »  F  » 

8» 


18 


THE    INFALLIBILITY    OF 


And  again.  "It  is  a  duty  to  obey  the  Priesis  of  the  church— tia  md  in 
ecelesta  sunt  PresbyterU  obedire  oportet— who  hold  their  succession  from  the 
Apostles,  and  who  with  that  succession,  received  agreeably  to  the  will  of  th« 
I'uther  liie  sure  pledge  of  truth,  {Charisima  veritatis  certum;)  but  as  to  those 
who  belong  not  to  tlmt  leading  succession  they  may  be  united,  they  should 
be  susp.  cfe<l,  either  as  heretics  or  schismatics,  proudly  extolling  and  plensias 
Iheniaelves,  or  us  hypocrites,  actuated  by  vam  glory  or  the  love  of  hicrJ. 
mi  they  who  nnpugn  the  truth,  and  excite  others  to  oppose  the  cinirch  of 
Ood  their  fate  is  with  Dathan  and  Abiron;  while  schisniaties  who  violate 
the  church  unily—qui  scindml  d  separatU  Miitalem  ecc/esio;— cxpeiience  the 
punishuieiil  which  fell  on  King  Jeroboam." 

My  next  authority  is  St.  Clement,  of  Alexandria,  Lib.  siro- 
malum,  Book  vii,  page  883,  Oxford  edition.  He  wa.s  a  Greek 
I'aiher,  and  Master  of  the  Sciiool  of  Alexandria.  He  lived  in 
the  second  century. 

«  Those  who  seek  may  find  the  truth,  and  clearly  learn  from  the  scrip- 
tures themselves,  m  what  manner  herclics  have  gone  astrov,  anif  on  the 
contrary,  in  what  manner  accurate  knowledge  and  the  right- doJtiiite  ore  to  he 
found  in  the  true  and  ancient  Church  only.  H«  ceases  to  be  liiithful  toihe 
Lord,  who  revolts  againsi  the  received  doctrines  of  tlie  Church,  to  embrace 
the  opinions  ol  heietics.  Heretics  make  use,  indeed,  of  the  scriptures  •  but 
then  they  use  not  all  the  saen  d  books  ;  those  they  use  are  eorrnpted,  or  they 
chieHy  urge  ambii;uou3  passages.  'Jhev  eoniipt  those  tiulhs  whi<li  a^nee 
with  the  inspiivd  word,  and  were  delivered  by  the  holv  Apostles  and  teacirera 
opposing  the  divine  traditi  n  by  human  doctrines,  "that  they  may  establish 
their  hm'sy.— But  it  is  clear  from  what  has  been  said,  that  there  'is  only  one 
true  Church,  which  alone  is  ancient,  and  there  is  but  one  God  and  one 
Lord."  ^ 

Tertiillian,  who  floin  ished  in  the  end  of  the  second  century, 
and  was  a  citizen  of  Carthajre,  in  his  book  De  Prescript,  cap. 
6,  page  331.     Edit.  Pamelliana,  1662,  says,— 

"We  are  not  allowed  to  indulge  our  own  humour,  nor  to  choose  what 
another  has  invented.  We  have  the  Apostles  of  our  Lord  us  founders,  who 
were  not  themselves  the  inventors  nor  authors  of  what  they  left  us  ;  but  they 
have  faithfully  taught  tha  world  that  doctrine  which  they  received  from 
Christ," 

Ibidem,  cap.  21,  "Now  to  know  what  the  Apostles  taught— that  is,  what 
Christ  revealed  to  them,  recourse  must  be  had  to  the  Churches  which  they 
founded,  and  which  they  instructed  by  word  of  mouth,  and  by  thtir  Epistles. 
For  it  is  plain,  that  all  doctrine  which  is  conformable  to  the  faith  of  these 
mother  Churches  is  true,  being  that  which  they  received  from  ihe  Apostles 
the  Apostles  from  Christ,  Christ  from  God;  and  that  all  other  opinions  must 
be  novel  and  false." 

Century  the  Third. — Origen  in  his  prefuce  to  the  first 
book  of  his  Periarchon,  page  47,  writes, — 

"As  there  are  many  who  think  they  believe  what  Christ  taught,  and  some 

oftheseditterfromothpr3.it    h^rnrnpa    no/><>aGnrv  fli-it  -ill    clir>.it7l    .>..^r„„™  .1 » 

,       ^  .  ...  '    "    -■ — «• '•'••'    [•'■.?>'-■-.-  iiiai 

dociiine,  which  came  down  from  the  Apostles,  and  now  continues  in  the 
Church  {KS(/i/e  ad  prese7is  in  ecclesia  permanens.)  That  alone  is  truth  which 
in  nothing  differs  from  what  has  been  thus  delivered.  (Qua  in  nuUo  oft 
eecleaiaslica  tt  apostolica  discordat  traditionej*) 


THE   ROMAN    CATI13LIC    CHURCH. 


19 


And  homi.y  the  6th,  on  Leviticus  : — 


"  Lot  hitn  look  fo  it,  who  arrogantly  puffed  up,  contemna  the  apontolic 
words.  To  me  it  is  good  to  atlliere  to  apostolic  men,  U8  lo  God  and  his 
Christ,  and  to  draw  intelligence  from  tlie  Scriptures,  according  to  the  pcnsc, 
tiiat  has  been  delivered  by  them.  If  we  follow  the  more  letter  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  take  the  interpr'»tation  of  the  law,  as  the  Jews  coinmonlv  explain 
it,  I  shall  blush  to  confess  that  the  Lord  should  <;ive  such  law.  fiut  if  the 
law  of  God  be  understood  as  the  Church  leaches,  then  only  docs  it  transcenH 
all  human  law,  and  is  worthy  of  him  that  gave  iL" 

And  again,  Tract  29,  on  Matthew,  tome  3,  page  864 : 

"As  often  as  heretics  produce  the  canonical  Scripture,  in  which  every 
Christian  agrees  and  believes,  they  seem  to  say,  '  Lo !  with  us  is  the  word 
of  truth.'  But  to  them  (the  heretics)  wc  cannot  give  credit,  nor  depart  from 
the  first  and  ecclesiastical  tradition :  we  can  believe  only  as  tho  succeeding 
churches  of  God  have  delivered." 

I  may  observe,  there  is  only  a  translation  of  Origen's  works 
in  the  Latin  remaining,  except  a  few  fragments  of  the  original 
Greek.  St.  Cyprian,  bishop  and  martyr,  in  his  treatise  De 
Unitate  EcclesisB,  observes : — 

"  Men  are  exposed  to  error,  because  they  turn  not  their  eyes  to  the  foun- 
tain of  truth,  nor  is  the  head  sought  for,  nor  the  doctrine  of  the  heavenly 
Father  upheld,  which  things  would  anyone  seriously  weigh,  no  long  arguing 
would  be  necessary.  The  proof  is  easy — Christ  addresses  Peter,  '  I  say  to 
thee,  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  1  will  build  my  Church,  and  the  gates 
of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it.'  He  that  does  not  hold  this  unity  of  the 
Church,  can  he  think  that  he  holds  the  fuith  ?  He  that  opposes  and  with- 
stands the  Church,  can  he  trust  that  he  is  in  the  Church  ?"— Page  108,  &.c." 

And  in  his  66th  Epistle,  page  166,  Oxford  Edition : — 

"Christ  says  to  his  Apostles,  and  through  them  to  all  his  ministers,  who 
by  a  regular  ordination  succeed  to  them,— 'lie  that  heareth  you,  heareth  me, 
and  he  that  despiseth  you,  despiseth  me.'  (Luke  x.  16.)  And  thence  have 
schisms  and  heresies  arisen,  when  the  bishop  who  is  one,  and  presides  over 
the  Church,  is  proudly  despised — Dum  Episcopus  qui  unus  est,  el  Ecclesioi 
prast,  contemnilur." 

Century  the  Fourth. — Lactantius,  a  convert  to  the 
Christian  religion,  the  most  accomplished  scholar  of  the  age, 
and  tutor  to  Crispus,  the  emperor  Constantine's  son,  and  who 
was  styled  "  the  Christian  Cicero," — In  (he  fourth  book  of  his 
Institutions,  c.  30,  p.  232,  Cambridge  edition,  thus  speaks  : 

"The  Catholic  Church  alone  retains  the  true  worship — this  is  the  source 
of  truth — this  is  the  dwelling  of  faith — (his  the  temple  of  God,  into  which  he 
that  enters  not,  and  from  which  he  that  goes  out,  forfeits  the  hope  of  life,  and 
of  eternal  salvation — a  spe  vita  ac  salvtis  eterncc  alienus  est." 

Eusebius  of  Palestine,  in  his  Prccmium  de  Eccles.  TheoL 
page  60,  Ed.  Colon.  1687 : 

"  i  G  «r:jat  iiss  ueevi  meritioned,  I  aha'i  add  my  reasoning  on  the  divinity 
of  our  Saviour;  but  nothing  newly  invented  from  myself;  notiiing  from  my 
own  closet,  nor  resting  on  the  opinion  of  my  own  sagacity.  I  shall  dtrlive'r 
the  uncorrupted  doctrme  of  the  Church  of  God,  which  once  received  Irom 
ear  and  eye  witnesses,  this  church  preserves  inviolate." 


to 


TIIK    INFALLIBILITY    OP 


St.  Athanasius,  Patriarch  of  Alexandria,  first  Epist.  ad  Sera- 
ptunup.  676,  Ed.  Bened.  1698: 

.nH  kwi.""nr"n  *;'?""!'^«':  ^'■07'  the^MioBt  i^cnod,  the  tradition,  the  doctrine, 
and  a.th  of  lh<:  Cotiiolic  church  which  God  lirM  ddivered,  which  the  Apostlei 
proclnitn.d,  and  the  Buccecdina  Fathers  tbstered  and  prt'servcd.  On  these 
auUi,or.liea  the  church  is  founded,  and  whoever  fulls  fmn  her  cammmion 
neither  is,  nor  can  be  called  a  Christian."  '""wiiwi 

Epist.  ad  Marcel).  9,  1,  p.  996,  Ed.  Bened.  1698 : 
"  If  you  wish  to  confound  the  opinions  of  the  Gentiles  and  of  the  heretici. 
•nd  to  shew  that  the  knowledge  of  God  is  not  to  be  found  with  them,  but  in 
the  church  alone,  you  may  repeat  the  words  of  the  79th  psalm." 

St.  Hilary,  in  his  Commentary  on  Matthew,  c.  xvii,  p.  676, 
Ed.  Bened : 

"Christ  (teachinj;  from  the  ship)  intiniatcs,  that  they  who  are  ont  of  the 
Church  can  possess  no  undersfandm^  of  the  divine  word.  For  the  ship  is  an 
emblem  of  the  church,  within  which,  as  the  word  of  life  is  planted  and 
preached,  so  they  who  are  without,  being  as  barren  and  useless  sands,  can- 
not understand  it."  ' 

St.  Basil  the  Great,  Bishop  of  Caesarea,  in  Cappadocia,  Lib. 
de  Spirit.  Sanct.  chap,  xvi,  t.  3,  p.  34 : 

"The  order  and  government  of  the  church,  is  it  not  manifestly  and  beyond 
contradiction  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  For  he  gave  to  his  church— first 
apostles;  secondly,  prophets j  thirdly,  teachers,"  &c.— 1  Cor.  xii,  28.  ' 

St.  Ephrem  of  Edessa,  whose  works  were  published  in  Latin 
oy  Gerard  Vesius,  at  Rome,  and  in  Greek  by  Thwaites,  at 
Oxford,  and  who  was  the  disciple  of  St.  James,  Bishop  of 
Nissibis  m  Mesopotamia,  Sermon  26— Adv.  Heres.  t.  4.  d. 
499— Edit.  Quirini— RomsB,  2740  : 

"They  again  must  be  reproved,  who  wander  from  the  road,  to  run  into 
uncertain  and  devious  tracks;  for  the  way  of  salvation  holds  out  certain 
marks  by  which  you  may  learn  that  this  is  the  path  which  the  Messenger  of 
i'eace  trod  ;  while  the  wise  whom  the  Holy  Spirit  instructed  wolked'over  • 
and  the  Prophets  and  Apostles  pointed  out  to  us.  My  brethren  let  us  wallc 
m  this  way  by  which  his  divine  Son  travelled.  This  is  the  royal  road  which 
leads  us  to  happiness." 

St.  Cyril,  patriarch  of  Jerusalem: 

"The  church  is  called  Catholic  because  ii  teaches  Catholicly,  and  with- 
out any  omission,  all  points  that  men  should  know  concernin«T  th4n<»s  visible 
and  invisible,  heavenly  and  earthly."— Catechism,  18,  No.  2,  moe  270 

ibidem,  Cat.  4  No.  20.— "Learn  sedulously  from  the  church,  which  ar« 
the  hooks  of  the  Old  and  J^eto  Teslanient." 

Ibidem,  Cat.  5,  No.  7.—"  Guard  the  faith,  and  that  faith  alone  which  is 
now  delivered  to  thee  by  the  church,  confirmed  as  it  is  by  all  the  scriptures." 

Mr.  Pope  rose  and  said— Gentlemen,  I  find  it  necessary,  in 
consequence  of  an  observation  which  fell  from  Mr.  Maguire 

towards  the  conclusion  of  hiss  first  sn«p/«li  tn  rtixta  tu.^  f^ii :__ 

statement  relative  to  my  confession  of  faith.  I  shall  read  for 
you  a  document,  which  was  handed  to  Mr.  Maguire,  without 
the  slightest  hesitation  by  Mr.  Singer  : 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 


21 


"I  do  not  stand  forward  as  the  advocate  of  any  particular  cliurch,  but  of 
the  great  leading;  doctrines  held  in  common  by  the  reformed  churches,  nn 
contained  in  tliuir  published  creeds,  and  as  an  opposer  of  tlie  tenets  of  tlie 
church  of  Rome,  againat  which  thoy  in  coininon  protest, 

"Our  controversy  is  not  about  church-government,  but  about drolrines. 

"  I  hold  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity. 

"Tijo  sufficiency  of  the  scriptures  to  salvation,  the  Apocrypha  havins 
boen  rejected.  * 

"  The  utter  depravity  of  human  nature,  and  the  necessity  of  a  change  of 
heart,  before  the  soul  can  bo  admitted  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

"The  guilt  and  condemnation  of  man,  and  justification  before  God  by 
faith  alone,  in  the  finished  work  of  Christ. 

"  That  good  works  spring  out  necessarily  of  a  true  and  lively  faith. 

"I  protest  against  Infallibility;  doctrine  of  Supererogation  ;  Human 
Merit;  Transubstantiation ;  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass;  Service  in  an 
unknown  tongue;  Communion  in  one  kind;  Adorotion  of  Imat^es;  and 
Invocation  of  Saints  and  Angels." 

While  I  acknowledge  to  Mr.  Maguire,  that  I  could  not  sub- 
scribe to  every  one  of  the  39  articles,  I  beg  to  refer  to  the 
following  articles,  as  a  further  exposition  of  my  faith,— articles 
1,  2,  4,  6,  6,  7,  9,  10,  11,  12,  13,  1 4,  15,  16,  17,  18,  and  all 
the  protestations  against  the  church  of  Rome,  contained  in  the 
other  articles.  Those  are  the  principles  which  every  real 
Protestant  professes,  and  to  them  I  most  cordially  subscribe. 

My  friend  has  complained,  that  he  has  discovered  no  tangible 
matter  on  which  to  oppose  me.  Mr.  Maguire  should  remem- 
ber, that  we  accuse  the  church  of  Rome  of  overwhelming  the 
whole  structure  of.  Christianity,  by  the  addition  of  novel 
opinions  ;  and,  therefore,  he  cannot  find  fault  with  me,  if  my 
profession  of  faith  is  contained  within  a  mufh  shorter  compass 
than  his.  Mr.  Maguire  has  touched  ujion  some  subjects, 
amongst  others,  the  right  of  private  judgment,  which  by  out 
arrangements  were  not  to  come  under  consideration  until  a 
future  day — I  shall  not  follow  him  in  his  wanderings,  but  shall 

at  once  proceed  to  the  subject  more  immediately  before  us 

the  proofs  of  the  infallibility  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 
My  learned  friend  has  gndeavored  to  prove  his  point,  by  bring- 
ing forward  various  passages  of  scripture,  which  he,  no  doubt, 
looked  upon  as  proofs.  But  I  charge  him  at  once  with  a 
'' peiilio  principii,"  and  maintain  that  the  onus  rests  on  him  of 
proving  that  the  church  of  Rome  is  the  church  of  Christ. 
Until  he  shall  bring  forward  proofs  to  demonstrate  this,  the 
passages  which  he  has  adduced  relative  to  the  church  of  Christ 
are  irrelevant.  My  learned  friend  has  also  brought  forward 
varioijs  quotations  from  the  Fathers.  While  I  admit,  that  as 
historians  and  witnesses   of  what  may  have  occurred  in  the 

the  Fathers  ;  yet  I  do  say,  we  are  not  to  place  any  great  weight 
upon  their  authority— and  I  contend  fcr  it,  that  we  are  onlv  to 


ti  THE    INrALLIBILITT    OV 

receive  their  expositions,  when  those  expositions  approve  thein> 
■elves  to  our  judgments,  as  in  accordance  with  the  general 
tenor  of  the  sacrod  scriptures.  Having  made  these  general 
rfcinorUs  upon  the  Fathers,  I  beg  to  read  the  advice  given 
by  tit.  Augustin  and  Chrysostom,  which,  perchance,  may  assist 
Mr.  Maguire  in  deciding,  whether  the  church  of  Rome  be  the 
church  of  Christ.  From  St.  Augustin,  "jD*  Unitale  Ecelcaia^" 
cap.  16, 1  read  as  follows.     Speaking  of  the  Donatists  : — 

"  Let  thcMi,"  he  sajrs,  "if  they  can  demonstrate  thoir  cliurch  not  by  the  talk 
and  rumor  of  tlio  AfriciinB  ;  not  by  the  Counfils  of  their  own  Bishops;  not 
by  thclrooksof  thoir  dispnters ;  not  by  deceitful  niiracles,  against  which  we 
are  cautioned  by  tite  word  of  God,  but  in  tlio  prescript  of  the  law,  in  »ho 
predictions  of  the  Prophets,  in  the  verses  of  the  Psahns,  in  the  voice  '  tho 
Shepherd  iiiinaelf,  in  the  |)reachin;5  and  works  of  tlie  Evangehsts  j  thai  i^,  in 
all  canonical  authorities  of  the  sacred  scriptures." 

St.  Chrysostom  also : 

"  Formerly  it  mi<;ht  have  been  ascertained  by  various  means,  which  was 
the  true  church,  but  at  present  tueke  is  no  otuer  means  left  for 

THOSE  WIIO  AKE  WILLING  TO  DISCOVER    THE    TRUE    CHURCH  OF  ChHIST  BUT 

BT  THE  SCRIPTURES  ALONE.  And  why?  Bec.iusfi  hcrcpy  has  all  outward 
observances  in  common  with  her.  If  a  man,  therefore,  be  desirous  of  know- 
ing the  true  Church,  how  will  he  bo  able  to  do  it  amidst  so  oreat  a  resem- 
blance, but  by  the  scriptures  alone?  Wherefore,  our  Lord  foreseeing  that 
such  a  great  confusion  of  things  would  take  place  in  the  latter  days,  ordered 
the  Christians  to  have  recourse  to  nothing  but  the  scriptures." — Horn.  49,  in 
Mall.  xxiv. 

From  these  quotations,  you  will  perceive,  that  much  of  the 
controversy  resolves  itself  into  this  simple  question — Are  the 
doctrines  of  the  church  of  Rome  those  which  the  Bible  teaches  ? 
How  then  are  we  to  Know  this  but  from  the  Bible  1  We  must 
first  then  be  in  possession  of  the  doctrines  of  the  church  of 
Christ,  in  order  to  determine,  \7hether  the  church  of  Rome  be 
the  church  of  Christ — and  then,  forsooth,  we  must  go  back  to 
the  church  of  Rome,  in  order  to  learn  what  the  doctrines  of  the 
ch.irch  of  Christ  are? 

Methiiiks,  my  friend  should  have  giv$n  some  definition  of 
"  The  Church." — He  should  have  stated,  where  the  infallibility 
of  tbe  church  is  lodged.  Wheth  <  i  frrneral  council,  inde- 
pendently of  the  Pope,  or  whether  isi  ihp  Pope  indefon  yjntly  of 
n  general  council — whether  in  a  r  ij  u;.  J  the  Pope  together 
— or  in  the  universal  church  dispersed  throughout  the  world — 
for  if  I  know  not  where  this  infallibility  lies,  even  supposing 
that  it  did  exist,  of  what  possible  use  can  it  be  to  me  1  I  assert, 
that  there  is  not  a  single  passage  throughout  the  entire  scrip- 
tures, in  whii^h  the  word  ''church"  means^the  body  of  the  eccle- 
biasticiil  officers  excliisive  of  the  Christian  couirreiiutions  over 
which  they  preside.  The  word  church  occurs  in  about  ninety 
places  in  the  Now  Testament ;  and  there  is  not  one,  in  which  it 


THE    ROMAM    CATHOLIC    GIIURCR. 


2S 


m  to  be  understood  of  the  ecclesiastical  governors  of  the  church, 
to  the  exclMHion  of  the  people  under  thfir  charge. 

>Vo  shall  spo  thu  opi-.iions  of  the  Fiithors  on  the  meaning  of 
the  word  church.     St.  Clomons  Alexandrinus,  calls  the  church 
a  congregation  of  the  elect.— {Strom.  7,  p.  715.)     In  tha  ttanie 
sense  it  is  used  by  St.  Ignatius,  by  Crilopjlus,  by  St.  Cyril  of 
Alexandria,  by  Isidore  Polusiota,  (Ig.  ad  Trail  Crit.  in  Uon/eti. 
Fid.  c.  7.     Cyril,  in  cap.  42,  les.  p.  64.     laid.  ep.   246,  1.   2,  p. 
236,)  and   others.     lobiuM   Monachus  says,  that  ♦♦  the  pe(»ple 
believing  in  God  constitute  the  church."— (In  Bib.  Phot.  Cod. 
122,  p.  636.)     To  nearly  the  same  eflect  speaks  St.  Basil, 
Theophylact,  (Basil  ep.  393.  Theoph.  in  1  ad  Cor.  c.  1,  p.  164,) 
and  other  Fathers  and  eminent  ecclesiastical  writers.    Zonnras, 
who  may  be  considered  as  high  autiiorily  in  respect  of  the 
miport  of  ecclesiastical  terms,  says,  that  "  the  word   'church,* 
properly  denotes  a  congregation  of  the  faithful."— (Ad  Can.  6. 
Grang.  p.  314.)     We  see,  therefore,  from  the  scriptures  ihoui- 
selves,  and  from  the  authority  of  the   Fathers  whom   I   h;ive 
quoted,  that  the  word  "church"  does  not  signify  an  ecclesiu.stical 
synod  or  a  general  council— but  the  bodij  of  the  faithful.     So 
that  even  su[)posiug  it  did  appear  from  the  scriptures,  that  the 
church  of  Christ  is  infallible,  it  is  evident  that  that  infallibility 
must  not  be  restricted  to  the  ecclesiastical  rulers,  but  must  be 
extended  to  the   entire  body  of  Christians  sc4»ttered  over  the 
world,  laics  as  well  as  ecclesiastics.     My  friend  next  referred 
to  Isaiah,  lix,  21,  and  he  told  us  that  many  Protestant  divines 
consider  the  prophet  as  speaking  in  that  passage  of  the  future 
church.     I  beg  to  say,  however,  that  many  learned  Protestants 
have  considered  it  as  referring  to  the  Jewish  church,  subseqjiently 
to  their  restoration  and  introduction  to  the  Christian  dispensation. 
— If  it  confers  a  privilege  on  any,  it  confers  it  on  all   who 
constitute  the  church   of  Christ;     but  it  seems    to  confer  it 
particularlij  on  the  Jewish  churchy  as  the  promise  was  originally 
addressed  to  them.  The  words  are,  "my  spirit  that  is  in  thee  t^haJI 
not  depart  from  out  of  thy  mouth  from  henceforth,"  &c.     The 
learned  gentleman  in  iiis  next  remark,  also  followed  up  the 
pelilio  principii.  "as  my  Father  sent  me,  so  also  send  I  you,"  and 
tukes  for  granted  that  these  words  apply  to  successors  of  the 
Apostles.    But  the  onus  is  on  him  to  prove,  that  every  thing  said 
to  the  Apostles  is  also  said  to  their  successors ;    and  again  the 
onus  rests  on  him  to  show,  that  the   ecclesiastics  or  Popes  of 
Borne  are  the  successors  of  the  Apostles.     This  he  has  not  yet 
attempted  to  show,  and  until  he  does  so,  of  what  avail  are  all  his 

and  asks,  how  could  he  be  with  the  Apostles  to  the  end  of  the 
world,  seeing  they  were  mortal  men  1   He  should  bear  in  mind. 


84 


THE  INFALLIBILITY   OP 


that  not  a  line  of  the  New  Testament  was  written  when  he  spoko 
these  words.  The  "end"  is  regtirded  by  many  as  the  con- 
summation of  the  Mosaical  dispensation — the  orijiinal  word  is 
Uterally  "  age,"  and  not  world.  But  Christ  was  in  truth  with  the 
Apostles  while  in  th*^  flesh,  in  the  power  of  his  spirit ;  and  he  will 
no  doubt,  be  with  their  doctrines  (which  under  the  influence  of 
the  holy  spirit,  they  committed  to  writing,)  to  the  consummation 
of  time — blessing  them  to  the  salvation  of  thousands  yet  unborn. 
But  here  I  meet  r>y  friend,  and  deny  that  there  are  in  the  strict 
sense  of  the  term  any  successors  to  the  Apostles.  When  I  shall 
see  men  performing  miracles  in  the  broad  face  of  day,  like  them 
proving  their  doctrines  by  the  law  and  the  testimony,  evidencing 
by  the  holiness  of  their  lives  that  they  are  not  of  this  world,  arid 
that  they  are  valiant  for  the  truth  on  earth ;  then,  and  not  till 
then,  can  I  allow,  that  there  are  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word 
any  successors  to  the  Apostles. 

"Whatever  ye  shall  bind  on  earth,  shall  be  bound  in  heaven," 
has  been  alluded  to  by  my  friend.     Why  should  that  promise  be 
exclusively  claimed  by  the  Pope  and  his  clergy,  which  was  made 
to  the  Apostles  at  large.— (Mat.  xviii,  18.)     It  is  a  fact,  which 
rests  on  the  authority  of  historical  testimony,  that  no  bishop  of 
the  church  of  Rome  assumed  the  title  of  universal  bishop  till 
the  year  606,  in  the  time  of  Boniface  ;  and  Gregory  the  great, 
in  an  epistle  written  a  few  years  before  that  period,  makes  this 
striking  remark:    "That  if  any  person  assume  the  title  of 
universal  priest,  he  is  a  forerunner  of  antichrist."     But  I  would 
ask,  if  the  promise  was  to  be  extended  to  any  of  the  successors, 
why  not  to  the  successor  of  Peter  at  Jlntioch,  and  to  the  succes- 
sors of  the  other  Apostles,  to  Polycarp,  and  to  others  of  the  early 
Fathers.   My  friend  has  said,  that  our  Saviour  promised  to  com- 
municate his  power  to  the  apostles,  when  he  said,  "  All  things 
are  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth."   I  really  cannot  dis- 
cover this  from  the  context.     It  is  said,  all  power  is  given  unto 
the  Saviour;  but  because  the  power  is  given  unto  him,  does  it  fol- 
low that  he  communicated  that  power  to  his  Apostles  and  theii 
successors  1     The  promises,  even  if  admitted  in  the  sense  of 
my  learned  friend,  rests  upon  this  condition,  "  Teaching  them  to 
observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you."  There- 
fore, Mr.  Maguire  should  show  that  the  church  of  Rome  is  in 
accordance  with  the  word  of  God  1     My  friend  has  again  re- 
ferred to  the  church  being  "  the  pillar  and  the  ground  of  faith." 
Now,  as  I  stated,  before  he  can  apply  this  or  any  similar  pas 
8age  to  the  church  of  Rome,  he  must  first  show  that  that  church 
is  ti\e  church  of  Christ— this  he  has  not  yet  been  able  io  pruve, 
and  I  assert  with  confidence  that  he  never  will. 

1  do  admit  indeed,  that  the  universal  body  of  the  faithful,  by 


—wi 


"yS 


THK  KOMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 


25 


>» 


-etting  forth  the  purity  of  Christiiin  doctriii...  by  exhibitin.r  its 
practical  inflitence,  and  by  asscuibling  on  the  Lord's  day,  hold 
up  a  blazing  hght  to  the  world,  aio  "an  Epistlo  known  and  read 
of  men,"  and  thus  diffuse  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.     But  I  do 
not  thence  infer,  that  infallibility  is  the  prerogative  of  the  church 
o{  Christ,  though  I  do  hold  that  against  the  faithful  the  gates  of 
hell  shall  not  prevail,  and  that  "neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels, 
nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to 
come,  nor  height  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able 
to  separate  them  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord.        ro  be  preserved  by  the  powe/  of  God,  and  to  be 
wa died  over  by  his  providence,  does  not  imply  infallibility ;  and 
without  the  possession  of  such  a  prerogative,  the  church  of  Christ 
may  be  the  pillar  and  ground  of  truth,  by  being  a  living  exemplar 
oi  the  inffuence  of  Christian  doctrine."     "To  hear  th?  Church," 
reters  not  to  the  univeiisal  church,  but  to  the  parlkular  church  with 
which  the  parties  concerned  happen  to  be  connected.     How  is  it 
possible,  that  an  individual  could  make  his  complaint  to  the  uni- 
versal  church!      Ihe  gentleman  has  endeavored  to  give  us  an 
illustra  ion,  by  comparing  the  church  to  ihe  constituted  authorities 
of  the  land.     But  I  would  ask,  although  we  do  look  upon  them 
as  the  proper  expounders  of  the  law  of  the  nation,  and  appeal  to 
hem  to  decide  in  matters  of  dispute ;  and  although  we  do  admit 
"that  the  powers  that  be  are  ordained  of  God,"  does  this  argue, 
hat  we  consider  them  as  infallible  l     As  tar  as  the  commands  of 
the  church  of  Christ  accord  with  the  word  of  God,  so  far,  and  no 
farther,  are  they  ratified  in  heaven. 

nlt\  ^'^P5«^«»°"  "  obey  your  prelates,"  my  friend  has  also 
quoted.  Now,  in  the  original,  the  word  is  lyvoi^.ae.otff.—u  Qbev 
them  that  have  the  rule  over  you."  We  must  be  careful  to 
attend  to  the  tenor  and  spirit  of  scripture,  and  call  no  man  mas- 

wm  T^Vir  V  f  I  ^'^  f  "'^^""'  *'  agreeable  to  the  word  and 
will  ot  God.  Let  it  not  be  imagined  that  I  am  opposed  to  pas- 
toral aulhority.     No,  far  from  it-"  Christ  gave  to  his  church, 

ers  for^the  Sr :""^'^r'  Prophets-thirdly,^astors  and  teach-* 
ers,  tor  the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  minis- 
17,  for  the  editying  of  the  body  of  Christ.  My  friend  has  referred 
to  the  passage  "  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth."  He  should  . 
nave  coatinued  the  Saviour's  words,  "If  the  salt  have  lost  its 
savor  wherewuh  shall  it  be  salted  ]"     Does  this,  I  would  ask 

tfl^^rftiL  .'L'1/^^-  «^  ^-  -^hing,  but  to  be  cast  out 

Mr.  Maguire  has  also  referred  to  the  passage,  "Whose-soever 
srns  ye  forgive,  they  are  forgiven,  and  whose-soever  sins  ™ 
retam.  they  are  retained."   Now  it  must  be  rememberedrK 

3 


ie 


THE    INFALLIBILITT  OP 


the  lime  our  Lord  uttered  these  words,  not  a  line  of  the  New 
Testament  was  witten.     Christ  was  about  to  introduce  a  new 
dispensation ;  auu  ue  appointed  his  Apostles  as  ministers  of  his 
new  kingdom,  with  authority  to  exact  laws  and  regulations  for 
the  governance  thereof.     The  Saviour  fully  commissioned  his 
Ap'^stles  to  make  known  the  glories  of  his  divine  character,  and 
the  principles  of  Heaven's  administration — to  lay  down  the  way 
of  salvation,  clearly  and  fully  through  a  Redeemer's  blood,  and 
to  describe  the  character  of  those  whose  sins  had  been  blotted 
out,  or  in  other  word^  to  depici  the  sanctifying  influence  of  the 
gospel  upon  the  life  and  conversation.    I  admit  the  power  of  the 
church  of  ChrUt  to  excommunicate  from  its  sociity  any,  who 
by  their  unholy  lives  disgrace  their  profession,  or,  by  their  errors 
as  to  <he  fundamental  doctrines  of  Christianity,  give  evidence, 
that  they  are  not  the  followers  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour.     B\i\ 
even  the  authority  of  excommunication  is  restricted;  for  it  avail* 
not  except  so  far  as  the  decision  agrees  with  the  will  of  heaven. 
Further — there  is  no  standard  authority  as  to  discipline  in  the 
church  of  Rome  ;i  for  Doctor  Doyle,  in  his  examination  on  oath 
before  tho  Lord's  committee,  page  240,  when  asked,  "Does 
the  last  article  in  the  priest's  oath  declare  every  thing  done  m 
the  council   of  Trent  binding?  "  replied,  "  That  regards  faith, 
not  discipU:ie.     The  French  church  never  received  the  decrees 
of  the  council  of  Trent  regarding  discipline:  and  in  a  part  of 
Ireland  such  decrees  are- not  received."     My  friend  has  spoken 
much  about  unity  of  sentiment  and  suprenie  authority.     The 
pa«8age  just  read  furnishes  a  sufficient  commentary  on  his  as- 
sertions relrtive  to  these  points.     There  are  many  other  proofs 
which  I  could  adduce,  that  the  church  of  Rome  possesses  no 
claim  whatever  to  infallibility— but  my  time  at  present  does  not 
permit.     Mr.  Pope  here  resumed  his  seat. 

Mr.  Maguire.— I  regret  exceedingly,  that  after  nil  my  en- 
deavours to  the  reverse,  this  controversy  is  likely  to  be  a  war  of 
words,  and  not  of  argument.  Let  us  come  to  close  fightmg— - 
let  Mr.  Pope  propose  his  objections  seriatim,  and  I  pledge  my- 
self to  answer  them  to  your  satisfaction.  I  fearlessly  appeal  to 
scripture.  He  has  stated  that  not  a  single  passage  m  the  New 
Testament  refers  to  church  authority  independently  of  the  con- 
gregation. I  aver  that  there  are  many  such  passages  ;  when  our 
Saviour  says,—"  If  he  will  not  hear  thee,  tell  the  church  :  and  if 
he  will  not  hear  the  church,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  the  heathen 

1    .1  _  -_..i,i: .  j»    u,>   ^,.'.A,^nt\v   aWiiAoa   tn   n    trihunnl    before 

anu  luc  puuui;iiii ;      w«--  ^Tsuv.it.j   „.,..,,—.  —   _  -^   ..- 

which  the  offender  is  to  be  arraigned.     W  as  the  liishop  to  b*» 

arraigned  before  the  peasant,  and  not  the  peasant  betore  th# 

Bishop?     No— Christ  intended  that  there  should  be  rulers  m 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 


27 


his  church — that  the  Apostles,  with  their  successors,  should 
constitute  a  tribunal,  to  which  obedience  should  be  rendered, 
and  from  which  the  ignorant  and  the  illiterate  should  receive 
instruction  in  the  ftiith.  Mr.  Pope  says,  that  our  Saviour  must 
refer  to  a  particular  church,  and  not  to  the  universal  church,  from 
the  impossibility  of  referring  to  the  latter.  He  might  as  well 
say,  that  any  individual  who  sought  redress  from  the  laws  of  his 
country,  should  appeal  to  the  congregated  magistrates  of  the 
country.  An  individual  can  appeal  to  a  Bishop,  as  to  a  magis- 
trate— he  can  appeal  from  the  Bishop  to  a  Synod — from  the  Sy- 
nod he  can  appeal  to  the  Pope,  and  from  the  Pope  to  a  general 
Council,  uhich,  like  the  House  of  Lords,  is  the  last  resource. 
It  was  extraordinary  sophistry,  then,  to  argue,  as  Mr.  Pope  haa 
done,  that  there  is  no  tribunal  but  the  universal  church. 

He  endeavors  to  bring  the  Holy  Fathers  into  a  qualified  dis- 
repute, as  Luther  did  before  him.      When  Luther  found  the 
authority  of  the  holy  Fathers  strong  against  him,  he  said,  "I  care 
not  if  a  thousand  Chrysostoms,  a  thousand  Cyprians,  a  thousand 
Augustines,  stood  up  against  me.     And  let  this  be  my  creed,  'I 
yield  to  no  man.'  »     Again,  he  says,  "  I,  Dr.  Martin  Luther,  as 
to  those  matters  (articles  of  faith,)   am  and  wish  to  be  deemed 
obstinate,  contumacious,  and  violent."    Such  was  Luther's  con- 
fession that  the  Fathers  were  against  him.     When  Luther  found 
a  great  number  of  sects  arising  amongst  the  reformers — Calvin 
denying  the  real  presence — Zuinglius  saying,  that  this  is  my 
BODY,  means  "this  represents  my  body,"  he  began  to  repent, 
and  he  threatened  to  return  to  Popery  again,  if  they  continued 
to  raise  such  schisms.     Mr.  Pope  should  not  endeavor  to  bring 
the  Holy  Fathers  into  disrepute.     If  he  says  that  they  were  fal- 
lible, which  I  admit,  yet  he  must  allow  that  they  are  good  and 
faithful  witnesses  of  what  was  the  Christian  doctrine  in  their 
days.     If  I  show,  as  I  will,  the  infallibility  of  the  church  to  be 
the  doctrine  of  sixty  leathers  at  a  time,  when  Mr.  Pope  will  ad- 
mit that  the  church  was  pure,  then  is  it  not  evident  that  such 
doctrine  must  be  true?     If  Mr.  Pope  ansivers  in  the  negative, 
then  he  niust  contradict  all  Protestants  who  admit  the  authority 
of  the  first  four  councils— I  do  not  include  the  council  of  Jeru- 
salem.    Mr.  Pope  has  said,  that  he  cannot  discover  where  this 
authority   exists   in  the  Catholic  church.     If  he  had  examined 
our  divines  and  canonists,  he  would  find  that  the  Pope,  at  the 
head  of  a  council  regularly  convened,  in  their  decrees  regard- 
ing faith,  are  admitted  to  be  infallible.     That  is  one  instance.— 


Al 


f  th«  P. 


AisOs  !i  the  t 


I 


asscwiOicu,  L<;n{;uiu  issue 


decrees  touching  the  deposit  of  faith,  and  which  are  subsequently 
received  by  the  church  dispersed,  we  account  them  infallible,  as 
otherwise  the  promises  of  Christ  to  his  church  would  fail.' 


tb 


THE    INFALLIBILITY  OP 


As  to  tie  title  Ecumenical,  assumed  by  Boniface,  it  certainly 
was  condemned  by  Gregoi^  the  Great,  when  assumed  in  a  dif- 
ferent sense  by  the  patriarcn  of  Constantinople.  It  was  then 
condemned  by  Gregory  as  a  blasphemous  heresy,  because,  as 
he  said,  there  was  no  universal  bishop  in  the  unlimited  sense 
meant  by  the  patriarch  of  Constantinople,  but  Christ,  who  is 
with  his  church  to  the  end  of  the  world,  teaching  and  preaching. 
But  in  a  limiled  sense,  the  expression  is  not  to  be  condemned, 
and  that  was  the  sense  in  which  it  was   claimed  by  Boniface. 

Again,  "  as  the  Father  has  sent  me,  1  also  send  you."  Mr. 
Pope  says,  I  did  not  prove  that  this  was  directed  to  any  but  the 
apostles.  I  have  already  proved  that  our  Savior  promised  he 
would  be  with  them  to  the  end  of  the  world — not  that  they  should 
live  in  a  physical,  but  in  a  moral  sense,  and  survive  in  the  per- 
sons of  their  successors.  Mr.  Pope  says  that  this  applied  to 
the  Jewish  church.  I  am  sure  the  church  of  England  will  be 
much  obliged  to  him,  for  all  his  argua)ents  tend  as  strongly 
against  the  established  church  of  England,  as  against  the  church 
of  Rome.  The  church  of  England,  in  her  homilies,  declares 
that  she  will  not  endure  a  departure  from  her  liturgy  in  the  slight- 
est degree.  So  fsir  she  claims  obedience  to  her  authority  as 
well  as  the  Catholic  church.  There  could  not  in  fact  exist  any 
regularity  or  order  if  Christ  did  not  leave  an  authority  to  his 
church.  Mr.  Pope  says,  granting  for  a  moment  the  church  of 
Christ  to  be  infallible,  that  the  onus  lies  upon  me  to  prove  that 
the  church  of  Rome  is  the  church  of  Christ — this  argument  is 
merely  ad  caplandum.  After  I  have  proved  that  Christ  estab- 
lished one  true  and  infallible  church  on  earth,  do  I  not  lay  the 
hatchet  to  the  root  of  all  the  rest,  and  thus  prove  the  falsehood 
of  all  the  heresies  that  have  separated  from  that  church  ?  and 
consequently  have  I  not  broken  the  neck  of  Protestantism  gen- 
erally 'I  Is  it  riot  evident  that  I  can  prove  the  infallibility  of  the 
church  in  the  times  of  the  Apostles,  and  under  their  successors, 
the  bishops  and  martyrs,  who  died  for  the  truth  ?  If  Mr.  Pope 
once  admits  the  infallibility  of  any  church,  I  have  gained  my 
point.,,  I  have  proved  to  you  manifestly  that  the  passage  which 
I  quoted  from  Isaiah  has  reference  to  a  future  church.  I  shall 
read  to  you  the  passage  again,  with  the  preceding  verse  : — 

"  And  thero  shall  come  a  Redeemer  to  Zion,  and  to  them  that  return  from 
iniquity  in  Jacob,  sailh  the  Lord.  This  is  my  covenant  with  ihem,  saith  the 
Lord;  my  spirit  that  is  in  tiieo,  and  my  words  that  I  have  nut  into  thy  mouth, 
shall  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed,  nor  out 
of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed's  seed,  saith  the  Lord,  from  henceforth,  and  forever." 

1.~i„U    v.-    no    oi 

jiSttttt.'f,    1I.\,    £j\ff    Xjtt 

Here  the  inspired  prophet  speaks  of  a  Redeemer  to  come  to 
Zion,  and  to  establish  his  church.     Could  there  be  a  more  obvi- 


THE   ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

ous  alluswn  to  Christ  and  his  church.    In  reference  to  my  quotf . 
lion  "ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth,"  Mr.  Po^e  has  rcnmuleu   .e 
of  the  addition,  "If  tlie  salt  .shall  lose  its  savor."     I  deny  that 
the  suit  does  lose  its  savor— I  am  not  a  chenjist,  but  I  can  state 
upon  the  authority  of  the  most  learned  men,  that  salt    annot  lose 
Its  savor— this,  therefore,  proves  the  infallibility  of  the  church. 
1  he  Apostles  are  compared  to  salt,  and  as  soon  as  the  salt  iconla 
lose  Its  savor,  they  would  lose  their  infallibility— that  is  never 
Mr.  Pope  argues  that  when  Christ  talked  of  the  church,  he  talked 
ot  the  laity— will  it  be  inferred,  because  Christ  speaks  one  time 
m  the  aggregate,  that  he  never  speaks  particularly  of  the  bishops 
and  rulers  whom  the  Holy  spirit  appointed  to  goverr^  the  church 
Mr.  Pope  says  that  the  passage,  "obey  your  prelates,"  means! 
"  obey  your  superiors  in  general."   What  says  the  Apostle  Paul  ] 
"Obey  your  prelates,  and  be  subject  to  them.     For  they  watch,  as  beina 
to  render  an  account  of  your  souls,"  &c.  *^  ^ 

Are  laymen,  or  magistrates,  by  Christ's  appointment,  to  ren 
der  an  account  of  our  souls?     It  would  be  absurd  to  suppose 
that  the  bishops  should  give  an  account  of  that  which  they  have 
not  the  government.     What  signifies  how  a  government  exists. 
If  obedience  be  not  rendered  to  it  ?— How  absurd  to  suppose 
that  an  authority  couid  exist,  and  yet  the  people  not  be  oblirred 
to  obey  It.     It  is  evident  if  an  episcopal  church  were  esiablished 
by  Christ,  that  bishops  must  be  recognised  in  it.     Our  Saviour 
gave  the  feeding  of  the  sheep  and  lambs  to  one,  but  he  also 
gave  the  feedmg  of  the   lambs  to  the   bishops.       Mr.   Pope 
contends  that  the  text  "Feed  my  lambs,  and  feed  my  sheep," 
equally  applies  to  all  the  Apostles,  but  did  not  Christ  address 
himselt  to  Peter  only,  when  he  said,  "Simon  Barjona,  lovest 
thou  me  more  than  these?"     And  when  Peter  answered  "  Yea, 
Lord,  '—Christ  replied,  "  Feed  my  lambs,  feed  my  sheep."— 
l>id  he  not  also  declare  that  there  should  be  but  "  one  fold,  and 
one  shepherd."     Now  I  should  be  glad  to  learn  what  is  there 
m  a  sheep-fold,  beyond  sheep  and  lambs  ?     That  is— dropping 
the  metaphor  beyond  clergy  and  laity.     When,  therefore,  Christ 
commissioned  Peter  to  feed  both  sheep  and  Iambs,  he  gave  him 
a  charge  over  the  clergy  as  well  as  the  laity— This  is  the  sacred 
edihce  raised  by  Christ,  from  which  Mr.  Pope  has  not  been  able 
to  pick  a  single  stone. 

Mr.  Pope  has  pronounced  an  eulogium  upon  the  Hcriptures— 
J  too  love  and  honor  them,  and  I  trust  that  in  my  life,  I  follow 
their  commands.  I  pay  that  respect  to  the  scriptures,  which  I 
pay  to  the  images  of  our  Saviour,  his  Apostles,  and  martvrs :  I 
lo.iow  ir.eir  precepts,  1  hope  ;  but  as  to  the  adoration  either' of 
fioriptui  es  or  ol  images,  my  soul  abhors— my  nerves  shrink  from 
II.     It,  tiowever,  Uie  scriptures  had  been  intended  as  the  sole 

3* 


se 


THE  INFALLIBILITY    OF 


rult  of  faith,  it  is  evident  that  Christ  would  have  given  a  com- 
mand to  write  them.  But  no  such  command  was  given  by  our 
Saviour.  Ho  ordered  his  Apostles  to  go  teach  and  preach  ;  and 
that  those  who  believed  would  be  saved.  Believed  what  1  The 
preaching  of  the  Apostles.  But  ho  said  nothing  about  writing. 
My  arguments  remain  solid  and  undisturbed.  I  therefore  sit 
down,  till  objections  of  a  more  tangible  and  serious  nature  shall 
be  advanced. 

Mr.  Pope  rose  and  said — My  learned  friend  has  observed, 
that  he  will  wait,  until  some  stronger  arguments  shall  be  brought 
forward  against  him.  I  really  commend  the  spirit  which  he  has 
evinced  on  this  occasion.  He  remarks,  that  the  arguments 
which  I  have  advanced  are  not  sufficiently  weighty  to  deserve  a 
reply  ;  and  he  reserves  his  proofs,  that  the  church  of  Rome  is 
the  church  of  Christ,  until  the  third  day  of  the  discussion.  The 
passages  of  scripture  which  speak  of  the  church,  I  again  affirm, 
do  not  refer  to  ecclesiastics  exclusively.  While  I  admit,  that 
the  church  of  Christ  will  be  preserved  through  every  age,  and 
that  the  gates  of  hell  shall  never  prevail  against  it,  I  still  main 
tain,  that  not  one  single  passage  of  scripture  has  been  adduced, 
or  can  be  brought  forward,  proving  that  our  Saviour  conferred 
infallibilUy  upon  his  church ;  and  I  again  put  Mr.  Maguire  to  the 
proof  of  it. 

I  shall  now  show  you,  from  the  testimony  of  Roman  Catholic 
writers,  that  the  term,  "  church  of  Rome,"  was  not  considered 
as  a  designation  of  the  general  church  of  Christ;  but  that  it  was 
at  first  merely  given  to  distinguish  that  particular  church  ^rom 
other  churches — I  would  therefore  ask,  on  what  ground  caa  the 
church  of  Rome  arrogate  to  herself  the  right  of  being  consid- 
ered as  the  church  of  Christ,  more  than  other  churches.  Du- 
pin,  a  Roman  CathoHc  historian,  and  a  doctor  of  the  Sorbonne, 
has  the  following  passage  : 

"  It  is  true  (says  he)  that  at  present  the  name  of  the  church  of  Rome  ia 
givtn  to  the  Catholic  church,  and  that  these  two  terms  pass  for  synonymous. 
But  in  antiquity  no  more  was  intended  by  the  name  of  the  church  of  Rome, 
than  the  church  of  the  city  of  Rome ;  and  the  Popes  in  their  subscriptions 
and  superscriptions,  took  simply  the  quality  of  Bishops  of  Rome,  The 
Greek  schismatics  seem  to  be  the  first  who  gave  the  name  of  the  church  of 
Rome  to  all  the  churches  of  the  West ;  whence  the  Latins  made  use  of  this 
to  iistinguish  the  churches  which  communicated  with  the  church  of  Rome, 
from  the  Greeks,  who  were  separated  from  her  communion.  From  this  came 
the  custom  to  give  the  name  or  the  church  of  Rome  to  the  Catholic  chtirch. — 
But  the  other  churches  did  not  for  this  lose  their  name  or  their  authority,"  &c. 
— {Dupin.  Train  de  la  Puiss.  Eccles.  >^c,  p.  551.) 

Here,  then,  we  see  aolhiiig,  even  upon  Roman  Caihoiic  testi- 
mony, to  induce  us  to  esteem  the  Roman  Catholic  church  as 
exclusively  the  church  of  Christ. 


u 


HIE  ROMAN  CATLOLIC  CHURCH  S) 

Again,  Pope  Innocent  III  tells  us,  (lib.  ii,  Ep.  £C0.) 
"  The  church,  indeed,  is  called  Universal,  which  consists  of  all  churches, 
every  where,  which,  by  a  Greek  word,  is  denofiiinnted  Catholic,  thus  th« 
Roman  church  is  not  the  Universal  church,  but   a  part  of  th« 
Universal  church." 

Here  are  the  opinions  of  a  Pope  and  a  Roman  Catholic  his- 
torian. Both  passages  clearly  show,  that  the  term  "  church  of 
RoMie,"  did  not  signify  the  universal  church  of  Christ,  but  that 
the  title  merely  distinguished  it  from  the  other  churches,  which 
had  been  established  in  various  parts  of  the  world. 

'I  snail  now  show  you,  that  the  Fathers  referred  to  the  written 
word  as  the  standard  of  faith.  I  shall  quote  to  you  the  opinion 
of  St.  Ignatius,  who  was  contemporary  with  the  Apostles,  and 
successor  (so  to  speak)  of  St.  Peter  in  Antioch. — It  is  recorded 
by  Eusebius,  lib.  iii,  Ecc.  Hist.  cap.  36.  He  informs  us,  that 
Ignatius  being  on  his  way  from  Syria  to  Rome,  where  ho  was 
to  suffer  martyrdom,  addressed  himself  to  the  several  churches 
on  his  journey,  establishing  them  in  the  faith,  and  cautioning 
them  against  the  heresies  which  then  prevailed. — "  He  exhorted 
them  lo  hold  firmly  by  the  tradition  of  the  Apostles^  which  testify- 
ing that  it  had  been  already  committed  to  writings  he  declared  wo* 
necessarily  so  for  its  preservation." 

Augustine  also,  in  his  lib.  iii,  contr.  Lit.  Petiliani  c.  6. 

"If  any  one  concerning  Christ  or  his  church,  or  concerning  any  other  thin<T 
which  belongs  to  faith  or  our  life,  I  will  not  pay,  if  we,  but  (what  Paul  hntS 
added)  if  an  angel  from  heaven  shall  preach  unto  you,  beside  what  you  have 
received  in  the  legal  and  evangelical  scripture,  let  aim  be  accursed." 

Again,  St.  Jerome,  in  c.  1st,  Aggsei. 

"  Those  things  which  they  make  and  find,  as  it  A'cre,  by  ApostoUcal  Iradi. 
tion,  without  the  authority  and  testimony  of  Scripture,  the  word  of  God 
snutes." 

In  my  letter  to  Mr.  Maguire,  which  appeared  in  the  public 
prints,  I  referred  to  the  opposition  maintained  by  the  early 
Fathers  against  the  authority  of  the  church  of  Rome.  Whenever, 
therefore,  they  advocated  the  authority  of  the  church  of  Christ, 
it  would  not  be  the  authority  of  that  church  u-hich  they  themselves 
opposed.  But  my  friend  brought  forward  an  analogy,  and  asked 
me,  "  does  not  each  particular  magistrate  in  his  own  jurisdiction 
represent  the  executive  authority?"  And  he  argued  from  this, 
that  each  and  every  individual  bishop  should  be  regarded  in  the 
same  light  with  respect  to  the  church.  I  ask  him,  will  he  say 
that  each  and  every  particular  bishop  of  the  church  of  Rome  is 
infaUihle?     I  am  sure  Mr.  Maguire  beheVes  no  such  thing. 

Further — in  order  to  show  my  friend,  that  the  power  of  judg- 

inur   tirao    ir^^^f^^l    r«rk4     In     r%      n^»»1»     . U..x    I.-     ^1 I .1-.        /^    ^1 

•■'&   •"♦■'   Tv-.-tv-a  ii'j'i.    lit    a    ciuj^ic    j;c!3Ui!,  ij;;i   iii    iiiu    uuuy  Oi    Uie 

Christian  congregation,  I  refer  him  to  the  first  Epistle  to  the 
Corinthians,  v,  12,  where  the  apostle  asks,  "Do  vou  not  judge 


33 


THE    INFALLlBILITr  OF 


them  that  are  within  ?"     And  I  inquire,  to  whom  was  this  query 
addressed  ?     Was  it  to  the  ecclesiastical  rulers,  or  to  the  body 
of  the  church?     Consult  the  Douay  edition  of  the  scriptures, 
and  you  will  find,  that  the  epistle  is  addressed  "to  the  church  of 
God  that  is  at  Corinth,  to  them  that  are  sanctified  in  Christ 
Jesus,  called  to  be  saints,  with  all  that  invoke  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  m  every  place."— Now,  I  would  ask  my  friend,  are  ec- 
clesiastical officers  the  only  individuals  thus  denominated  ?  Are 
they  alone  the  sanctified  in  Christ  Jesus  ?   Are  they  alone  called 
to  be  saints,  and  do  they  alone  invoke  the  name  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  ?    In  the  2d  epistle  to  the  same  church,  ii,  10,  it  is  sAl, 
"to  whom  ye  have  pardoned  any  thing,  I  also."     A  reference 
to  the  epistle  will  show  that  this  passage  also  refers  to  the  entire 
body.    My  friend  quoted  a  verse  of  the  18th  chapter  of  Matthew 
"Wherever  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name, 
there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them."     Now  I  of  course  admit  this. 
The  great  head  of  the  church,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  is  present 

witii  his  people,  wherever  they  are  congregated  in  his  name 

But,  though  present  with  them  by  Hia  Spirit,  does  he,  therefore, 
confer  on  them  the  prerogative  of  infallibility  ? 

As  to  the  testimony  of  the  Fathers— I  am  quite  willing  to  admit, 
that  they  may  be  referred  to  as  faithful  witnesses  of  the  opinions 
current  in  their  times.     And,  is  not  every  faithful  historian 
entitled  to  the  same  credit  ?     But  I  would  ask,  when  we  refer 
to  Hume,  or  to  any  other  historian,  do  we  thence  infer,  that, 
because  they  are  faithful  witnesses,  they  are,  therefore,  infallible  ? 
My  friend  has  referred  ro  two  sources  of  infallibility.     Now 
we. me  informed  by  Crurles  Butler,  Esq.,  in  his  Book  of  tho 
Roman  Catholic  church,  p.  121—124,  that  there  does  exist  a 
difllerence  between  the  Italians  and  the  French  church,  respect- 
ing the  infallibility  of  the  Pope.     The  Italians  believe  in  the  in- 
falhbdity  of  the  Pope  ;  the  French  hol.d  the  contrary  opinion— 
the  fornior  receive  the  dogmas  of  the  Pope  as  infallible ;  the 
latter  reject  them,  if  they  be  only  per  se  or  ex-cathedra.    Here  we 
have  two  bodies  referring  to  sources  of  infallibility,  which  may 
often  jar  with  each  other.     I  therefore  ask,  can  there  be  any 
certainty,  on  their  own  grounds,  as  to  the  foundation  of  their  faith? 
My  friend  has  commented  on  the  opinion  of  Pope  Gregory,  in 
reference  to  the  title  of  the  Pope.    I  shall  read  to  you  the  passage. 
"I  confidently  say,  that  whosoever  calls  himself  the  Universal  Priest,  oi 
desires  to  be  so  called,  in  his  arrogance,  is  a  forerunner  of  Antichrist.»--/.te. 
VI,  hip.  30. 

Gregory  VII,  tells  us,  I.  ii,  ep.  55,  that  "  the  Roman  PontitT 
alone  is  rightly  calleduniversal."  Here  then  again  you  will 
perceive,  thai  we  have  Fope  against  Pope,  and  one  body  against 
another  body  on  the  authority  and  infallibility  of  the  Pope.     In 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 


33 


relation  to  th«  passage  which  my  friend  has  quoted,  where  our 
Saviour  say^,  "he  will  he  with  hi.s  disciples  to  the  consummation 
of  time,"  I  merely  observed,  that  it  is  the  opinion  of  some  an- 
cient critics,  that  the  words  mean  "to  the  end  of  the  Mosiiic 
dispensation," — not  but  that  our  Saviour  will  be  with  his  Apostles 
in  Iheir  xvriiings  to  the  end  of  time.  While,  however,  I  men- 
tion this,  merely  as  the  opinion  of  eminent  critics,  I  am  quite 
willing  to  allow,  that,  although  the  Apostles  have  r.o  successors 
in  the  strict  sense  of  the  term,  our  Lord  has  promised  to  be  with 
thou  who  labor  in  the  word  and  doctrine,  by  giving  seals  to 
their  ministry,  ai  lon^  as  then  continue  to  leach  whatsoever  he  has 
commanded  in  His  Holy  Word. 

My  friend  has  again  referred  to  the  passage  which  says,  "  if 
the  salt  lose  its  savor,"  and  he  has  told  us,  that  salt  cannot  lose 
its  flavor,  and  therefore  would  build  upon  it  the  infallibility  of  the 
church  of  Rome.     That  salt  for  a  long  time  retains  its  savor,  I 

admit ;  but  can  my  friend  prove  that  it  is  never  decomposed. 

And  does  he  not,  by  his  remark  upon  the  passage,  make  the 
adorable  Redeemer  contradict  himself?  Although  our  Lord 
knew  all  things,  we  invariably  lind  him,  in  his  discourses  with  his 
disciples  and  others,  using  those  terms  which  were  most  familiar 
to  them,  and  accommodating  his  language  to  their  capacities 
and  modes  of  thinking. — Even  in  the  present  day,  we  speak  of 
the  rising  and  setting  of  the  sun,  although  it  is  known  that  the 
sun  neither  rises  nor  sets. — These  remarks  account  for  our 
Saviour's  employing  the  mode  of  expression  which  we  are  con- 
sidering. In  connection  with  this  passage,  I  would  ask,  was 
there  not  a  Judas  even  among  the  Apostles,  and  did  he  not  self 
his  master,  and  put  himself  to  death? 

I  shall  now  refer  Mr.  Maguire  to  a  passage  of  scripture,  and 
r  ask  hitn  how  he  can  reconcile  the  infallibility  of  the  church  of 
Rome  with  it?  In  Romans,  xi,  22,  "  See  then  the  goodness  and 
the  severity  of  God  :  towards  them  indeed  that  are  fallen,  the 
severity;  but  towards  thee,  the  goodness  of  God,  if  thou  abide 
in  goodness,  otherwise  thou,  also  shall  be  cut  off.'*  Mark  this! 
"otherwise  thou  also  shall  be  cut  off."  I  ask,  does  the  church 
of  Rome  m  the  present  day  wish  to  identify  herself  with  the  early 
church  to  which  the  Apostle  wrote  these  words,  or  not?  If  not, 
then  is  her  antiquity  scattered  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven.  And 
if  she  4oes,  I  would  ask,  is  not  this  a  strange  threat  to  be 
addressee  iw  ^r  infallible  church! 

My  friend  has  again  quoted  the  passage,  "  He  that  will  not 
hear  the  church"— but  can  he  show  that  this  speaks  of  pastors 
exclusively,  and  not  of  the  people  also?  I  have  already  proved, 
that  every  Christian  body  is  authorised  to  judge  them  that  aro 
wuiaii.     "  Feed  my  sheep"  was  another  passage  brought  for- 


S4 


THE    INFALLIBILITY  OP 


ward  by  Mr.  Maguire ;  and  in  reference  to  it,  I  beg  to  call  your 
attention  to  the  authorities  of  some  early  Fathers  on  the  sub- 
ject. St.  Augustin  says — "  when  it  is  said  unto  Peter,  '  feed 
my  sheep,'  it  ia  said  unto  all." — (De  agon.  Christ,  c.  30.)  St. 
Ambrose  says,  "  which  sheep  and  flock  St.  Peter  did  not 
receive  alone,  but  we  all  received  them  with  him." — (Lib.  de 
Sacred.)  The  passage, "  one  fold  and  one  shepherd,"  has  bean 
quoted  by  Mr.  Maguire.  Our  Lord's  meaning  clearly  is  this, 
that  the  church  which  had  been  confined  exclusively  to  the  Jews, 
was  now  to  combine  both  Jew  and  Gentile  ;  that  the  harper 
which  separated  them,  was  henceforth  to  be  thrown  down,  and 
the  waters  of  life  to  flow  beyond  the  limits  of  the  Jewish  people, 
carrying  health  and  fertility  through  the  whole  world.  The 
onus  lies  on  my  friend,  to  show  where  the  church  of  Rome  is 
called  the  church  of  Christ,  or  where  the  Pope  is  called  the 
shepherd.  I  am  convinced  that  he  cannot  do  so.  I  assert,  on 
the  contrary,  that  to  call  any  creature  the  head  of  Christ's  church 
on  earth,  is  to  utter  a  blasphemy  against  the  Son  of  God,  who 
is  alone  the  head  of  the  church.  The  Psalmist  says,  "  The 
Lord  is  my  shephdrd,  and  I  shall  not  want." — Psalm  xxii.  But 
my  friend  has  again  referred  to  the  passage  in  Isaiah,  where  it  is 
said,  that  "  the  words  of  the  Lord  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy 
mouth  from  henceforth  and  for  ever."  If  you  consult  the  con- 
text, you  will  perceive  that  it  was  probably  addressed  in  an  espe- 
cial sense  to  the  Jewish  church,  as  he  mentions  Zion  and  Jacob. 
Some  commentators  do  refer  it  to  the  restoration  of  literal  Israel. 
But  in  truth,  if  this  promise  confers  infallibility  on  any  church, 
tlien  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Spirit  will  confer  infallibility  on 
every  believer.  In  the  epistle  to  the  Romans,  St.  Paul  says, 
"  If  any  man  have  not  the  spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his." 
Now,  I  ask  my  friend,  are  we  to  understand  by  this,  that  every 
individual  having  the  spirit  of  Christ  is  thereby  rendered  infalli- 
ble ?  May  not  a  person  be  enlightened  by  the  holy  spiiit,  with- 
out being  rendered  infallible  also  ?  The  passage  from  Isaiah, 
therefore,  does  not  prove  any  thing  for  my  learned  friend's  argu- 
ment. He  has  again  quoted,  "  Obey  your  prelates."  Now,  I 
find  in  other  parts  of  the  sacred  scriptures,  that  we  are  desired 
"  to  try  the  spirits  whether  they  are  of  God,  because  many  false 
prophets  have  gone  out  into  the  world."  Again,  I  read,  "  to 
the  law  and  to  the  testimony,  if  they  speak  not  according  to 
this  word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them,"  or  as  the 
Douay  version  gives  it,  "  they  shall  not  see  the  morning  light." 
And  again,  I  find  St.  Paul  saying,  "  I  speak  as  unto  wise  men, 

iiidcffi  v«  vniirsfilvfis  what  T  snv." — (\  (^,nr.  v.  ^^.\  XnA  i-int^ 
J---,-   J-    J.. __ J.  ^_ ... J       ......    ..,,, 

Lord  himself  asks,  "  why  even  of  your  ownselves,  judge  ye  not 
what  ia  right?" — (Luke  xii,  57,)     If  we  are  thus  desired  to  try 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC   CHURCH. 


35 


he  spirits — to  go  to  the  law  and  the  testimony  and  to  judge 
ind  examine  for  ourselves,  are  we,  in  opposition  to  the  express 
lictates  of  the  word  of  God,  to  receive  every  thing  which  an 
occlesiastie  tells  us,  without  examining  whether  the  doctrines  and 
precepts  inculcated  upon  us  are  in  accordance  with,  or  opposed 
lo,  the  revealed  will  of  heaven  ?  And  if  we  are  authorised  to 
axamine,  as  to  the  truth  or  falsehood  of  the  doctrines  brought 
oofore  us,  tfien  will  it  clearly  follow,  that  no  church  is  infallible. 

In  conclusion,  I  shall  now  propose  one  or  two  questions  to 
myjcarned  friend,  to  which  I  shall  thank  him  to  give  me  ex- 
plicit answers.  In  the  first  place,  I  should  wish  him  to  inform 
me,  how  many  general  Councils  have  been  held  ? 

Secondly— By  what  characteristics  are  general  Councils  to 
1)    distinguished  from  others  ? 

Thirdly — Can  my  reverend  friend  produce  an  authenticated 
translation  of  the  scriptures,  perfect  and  infallible? 

And  Fourthly — Can  he  point  us  to  an  infallible  commentary 
upon  those  scriptures  ? 

These  questions  I  put  to  him,  and  these  questions  must  be 
satisfactorily  answered ;  or  else  I  assert,  that  I  have  strong  pre- 
sumptive evidence  against  the  infallibility  of  the  church  of  Rome. 
For  I  say,  if  the  church  of  Rome  be  infVillible,  we  may  expect, 
that  she  is  able  to  refer  her  doctrines  to  an  infallible  and  clearly 
attested  stiindard— and  that  she  has  given  to  her  people  an  infal- 
lible and  authentic  version  of  the  sacred  scriptures — and,  as  she 
holds  that  a  commentary  is  indispensably  necessary,  we  may 
also  expect  that  she  has  furnished  an  infallible  commentary,  so 
that  her  followers  may  not  wander  in  the  wilderness  of  error, 
but  have  a  sure  and  certain  guide  to  direct  them.  A  priest 
declares  at  his  ordination  on  oath,  that  he, 

"Unhesitatingly  receives  all  things, defined, delivered, and  declared  by  the 
noly  canons,  and  general  councils ; " 

and  I  ask,  therefore,  have  I  not  a  right  to  put  these  questions  to 
any  priest  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  1 

Mr.  Maguire. — It  may,  perhaps,  appear  to  many  of  my 
auditory,  that  I  have  an  Herculean  task  to  perform.  A  great 
number  of  questions  have  been  put  to  me  to  answer,  which  would 
require  much  more  than  the  comparatively  short  period  allotted 
to  me  for  addressing  you.  Mr.  Pope  opened  his  speech  by 
endeavoring  to  draw  a  distinction  between  the  church  of  Rome 
and  the  Catholic  church.  I  beg  and  crave  the  kind  and  impar- 
tial attention  of  all,  while  I  clenr  nn  what  hf  cooia  tn.  ^.%.,^wi«. 
an  msurmountable  difficulty.  In  the  early  ages  of  Christianitv 
Uie  ohurch  was  not  kjjown  by  any  other  name  than  that  of  th'f 


56 


THE  INFALLIBILITY   Of 


\u 


Cntholic  chnich.  It  uua  so  dusigntited  in  the  Apostles'  erred. 
No  otnor  church  had  then  the  audacity  to  coinpuie  itself  with 
the  cnurch  of  Christ.  In  the  lupso  of  time,  however,  when  the 
Arinns  became  impudent  and  powerful — when  they  got  the 
Emperor  Constnntius  on  their  side,  and  the  temporal  power  was 
employed  to  subvert  the  church  of  Chris»t — when,  in  tine,  those 
heretics,  imitating  the  example  of  Julian  the  apostate,  who  i  ooted 
up  the  foimdation  of  the  old  temple  of  Jerusalem,  and  vainly 
attempted  to  rebuild  it,  in  order  to  falsify  the  prediction  of  the 
Son  of  God — sought  to  disprove  the  promises  of  Christ  to  his 
church,  by  overturning  its  government,  and  establishing  a  n#w 
one — it  was  then  thought  necessary,  for  distinction  sake,  to 
superadd  the  epithet  Roman,  as  a  communion  with  the  See  of 
Rome  was  looked  upon  as  the  lest  of  unity,  and  all  other  churches 
declared  heretical  or  schismatical,  which  refused  to  acknowledge 
the  bishop  of  Rome,  the  vicar  of  Christ  on  earth.  Thus  the 
word  consubstantial  was  first  introduced  at  the  Council  of  Nice. 
We  all  know  that  the  term  had  no  origin  in  the  scriptures.  The 
word,  however,  is  to  be  found  in  the  Liturgy  of  the  Protestant 
church.  My  frient^  must  admit  that  the  term  "Roman  "  was  in- 
troduced lawfully,  and  according  to  the  gospel,  or  he  must  deny 
that  the  term  "  consubstantial,"  was  introduced  lawfully — he 
must  deny  the  Council  of  Nice,  which  is  acknowledged  by  Dr. 
Walton,  and  all  Protestant  historians.  The  name  makes  nothing 
for  my  friend's  argument.  Though  the  name  Roman  has 
been  added,  it  is  still  the  same  church.  When  Arius  broaches* 
his  heresy,  the  Catholic  church  either  then  was  in  existence,  or 
it  was  not.  If  it  was  then  in  existence,  Arius  had  no  right  to 
set  up  a  church  against  the  church  of  God.  If  it  was  not  the 
Catholic  church  which  condemned  Arius,  the  church  which  he 
set  up  could  not  be  the  Catholic  church,  for  he,  for  a  time,  stood 
alone.  Where  was  the  Catholic  church  at  the  time  when  Luther, 
as  he  says  himself,  stood  alone,  and  was  the  only  one  who  had 
the  courage  to  apply  the  hatchet  to  the  root  of  Popery  1  The 
name  Roman  was  then,  as  1  have  clearly  proved  to  you,  giver 
to  the  Catholic  church  to  serve  as  a  distinction. 

I  have  already  explained  to  you,  that  the  title  ecumenical,  as 
assumed  by  the  patriarch  of  Constantinople,  was  blasphemous. 
Christ  is  the  only  ecumenical  pastor — he  is  the  foundation  and 
the  corner-stone.  The  Apostles  formed  the  edifice — But  if  the 
word  be  taken  in  the  limited  sense  in  which  it  is  applied  to  the 
bishop  of  Rome — that  is  the  visible  head  of  the  Universal 
Church — it  is  not  blasphemy.  Mr.  Pope  has  repeated  the  quo- 
tation  from  St.  Augustin — there  the  arguments  of  St.  Augus- 
iin  are  employed  against  the  Donatiais,  who,  like  lur.  Pope 
himself,  set  up  their  own  authority  against  that  of  the  Cathol.o 


. 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 


87 


I 


church— who  appealed  from  the  authurity  of  the  church,  and 
from  a  regularly  ordained  ministry  to  their  own  private  opinions. 
It  18  just  as  if  an  individual  having  been  condemned  in  the 
King's  Bench,  then  appealed  to  the  House  of  Lords,  and  then 
to  th»!  King,  and,  on  the  decision  being  given  against  him,  he 
should  recur  to  his  own  private  authority. 

Mr.  Pope  has  quoted  St.  Augustin  and  St.  Jerome,  who  dis- 
tinguished between  the  church  of  Rome,  and  the  Catholic  church. 
But  these  fathers  have  sometimes  spoken  of  the  church  of  Rome 
ns  a  diocesH,  or  as  a  patriarchate.  Did  they,  however,  deny 
that  the  church  of  Rome  was  the  mother  and  matrice  of  all  other 
churches  ?     Let  them  apeak  for  themselves. 

In  his  eleventh  book  De  Doctrina  Christiana,  where  laying 
down  a  rule  to  distinguish  canonical  books,  St.  Augustin  says 

"In  this  inquiry,  the  Huthority  of  tlie  greater  part  of  the  Churches  must  b« 
rollowed  and  particularly  of  those  that  hold  upoatolicul  sees,  and  received 
epistles  from  the  Apostles." 

And  lib.  Contra  Emstolam  Fundamenli,  he  says 

"Maivy  are  the  considerations  which  keep  irie  in  the  Catholic  church— thi 
assent  of  nations— her  authority— first  estiibli.sh(;d  by  miracles— cherished 
by  hojpu-extended  by  charity— strengthened  by  hipst-  of  yi  ars  ;  the  succea 
^n  of  pastors  from  the  chair  of  Peter,  to  whom  tl.o  lord  committed  the  care  of 
Jeedmg  las  flock  dntonlolhe  present  bishop;  lastly,  the  name  itself  0/  Catholic^ 

Thus  he  identifies  the  Catholic  church  with  the  bishop  of 
Rome,  to  whom  he  says,  Christ  committed  the  care  of  feeding 
his  flock.  So  much  for  the  distinction  between  the  church  of 
Rome  and  the  Catholic  church. 

Mr.  Pope  admits,  that  a  man  may  be  excommunicated.  How 
can  the  church  excommunicate  unless  it  possess  authority?  In 
it  not  evident  too,  that  it  is  an  authority  to  which  man  should 
yield  obedience  ?     What  does  St.  Augustin  say  ? 

"  I  would  not  believe  the  gospel,  if  the  authority  of  the  Catholic  church  did 
not  mwo  me  thereto." 

Will  Mr.  Pope  show  me,  that  he  does  not  deviate  from  the 
living  authority  of  the  Catholic  church?  I  defy  him  to  do  so. 
FIi!  appeals,  indeed,  to  an  invisible  church— he  quotes  a  text  of 
scripture  to  prove,  that  where  two  or  three  are  gathered  in  the 
Lord's  name,  there  will  he  be  in  the  midst  of  them.  This  is 
no  new  doctrine.  There  our  Lord  speaks  of  private  prayer.— 
1  he  Apostles  command  all  to  believe  in  the  holy  Catholic  church. 
1  here  never  existed  a  time  since  the  Apostles  in  which  that  holy 
Catholic  church  was  not  visible  on  earth,  otherwise  the  Apostles 
would  have  bound  us  to  believe  in  a  church  of  whose  existence 
there  was  no  certainty. 

Lei  Mr.  Pope  reconcile  the  idea  of  a  Universal  church,  to 
that  of  two  or  three  being  assembled  in  Christ's  name,  or  let 


38 


Tlir.    INFALLIBILITY  UV 


I  ill 


I  til  a! 


him  tihow  thnt  two  or  three  ostiibli.sh  our  notion  of  universality. 
Mr.  Poj>o  in  vain  iipptmls  tf»  Wis  invisible  church.     Thi.s  Ih  an 
argument  which  would  dohifht  our  infidels.     The  tUw  may  any 
to  ihn  Christian — "  Christ  made  ^reat  promises  to  his  church 
ttccordiiijjto  your  account — he  dcdurcd,  the  gates  of  hell  should 
not  prevail  against  her — and  ho  said,  that  whoever  should  not 
hear  her,  should  he  condemned  ;  he  also  compared  her  to  a  city 
biiijt  upon  a  mountain.      Yet,  we  find  that  he  has  not  fulfilled 
his  promises — that  his  church  may  fail — tlint  the  gales  of  hell 
have  prevailed  against  her — that  the  spirit  of  God  has  departed 
from  her,  and  that  the  promises  of  visibility  have  been  shame- 
fully violated.     It  is  then  necessary  for  you  to  look  ou^  for  that 
Messiah,  whose  coming  we  daily  expect.'*     Those  arguments 
iniirht  be  used  against  the  man  who  admits,  that  a  time  did  exist, 
since  the  coming  of  Christ,  when  there  was  no  visible  church 
upon  earth.     With  regard  to  the  authorities  which  I  have  pro- 
duced from  the  holy  Fathers,  I  have  quoted  Irom  them  where 
they  expressly  treat  of  the  authority  of  the  church— I  do  not 
select  passages  from  them  where  they  allude  to  the  church,  mere- 
ly by  a  side  wind,  hhd  which  passages  prove  nothing  upon  the 
subject.     Mr.  Pope  calls  upon  me  to  produce  a  genuinn  infal- 
lible translation  of  the  Hible— //<a/  is  to  be  fotmd  in  our  church, 
which  is  not^  in  his.     We  have  the  Latin  vulgalo,  the  noble 
translation  of  St.  Jerome,  and  approved  of  by  the  council  of 
Trent — that  is  om-  acknowledged  aiwl  authentic  lJib!e.    I  retort 
upon  Mr.  Pope — I  call  upon  him  to  show  me  any  translation  in 
his  church,  that  can  be  said  to  be  infallible.  -  The  Protestant 
church  is  fallible — the  translators  of  their  Bible  were  fallible — 
and  the  man  who  reads  it  is  fallible.     How  can  certainty  be 
built  upon  uncertainty  J     How  can  infallibility  proceed  from 
fallibilities,  or  to  use  an  expression  of  a  great  dignitary  of  the 
Established  church,  "  How  can  an  immoveable  edifice  be  built 
upon  a  moveable  foundation  ?  " 

Let  Mr.  Pope  answer  that  argument  if  he  can  ;  a  child  who 
is  born  in  Mr.  Pope's  connnunion  nuist  remain  a  Deist  till  he 
has  arrived  at  the  years  of  discretion.  A  Bible  is  then  put  into 
his  hands.  I  will  admit  that  he  is  conscious  of  the  existence  of 
a  God — All  his  works  proclaim  it.  "  Cceli  enarrant  gloriam 
Dei.''  B'.it  he  can  never  ascertain  of  himself,  from  the  book 
put  into  his  hands,  the  religion  which  God  has  ordained.  He 
must  learn  that  from  his  Clergy  or  from  Mr.  Pope — I  respect 
the  Protestant  Clergy — I  acknowledge  they  possess  the  titulus 
col.jratus.     Mr.  Pope,  I  should  remark,  is  not  sent,  and  St.  Paul 

,_-   tU. 


fnlU- 


i:*-''  vr:j\    X' 


Lric 


>..U    

Si\,  II     -.TtlU    J3     IlUl 


II. 

uutst 


u  as  ^iitfufi  >Vua 


— "And  how  can  they  preach  unless  they  be  sent."     The  Pro- 
testant child,  when  th«  Bible  is  put  intc  his  hands  cannot  believe 


TIIK  ROMAN    CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 


39 


111  the  infullibilify  of  the  trnnslator— ho  cannot  itke  the  acrip- 
tiiics  upon  tho  authority  of  the  CnthoUc  church,  he  must  disbo- 
hevo  them  altogeilier.  Tlio  Protestant  Ch-rgy  whould  beware 
of  tho  principles  so  confidontly  put  forth  at  the  present  period, 
and  to  which  they  lend  their  countenance  and  Htipport.  If  every 
individual  in  to  be  constituted  interpreter  of  the  scrif.tureH,  the 
day  will  arrive  when  the  cler^ry  will  be  thrown  overboard,  and 
they  will  be  glad  to  fly  from  the  machinations  of  those  who  would 
maUo  every  old  woman  in  tho  country  an  interpreter  and  ex- 
pounder of  the  sacred  word  of  God. 

When  Mr.  Pope  takes  the  Bible  into  his  hands,  he  should 
prove  that  it  is  ins|)ired.  Granting  that  he  establishes  its  authen- 
ticity, ho  has  done  nothing,  if  he  cannot  prove  its  ins  iration.   I 
defy  him  to  do  so  upon  his  own  princij)lcy,  without  being  enclos- 
ed in  a  vicious  circle.  Ho  receives  the  scriptures  upon  the  righ* 
of  private  judgment,  and  he  then  proves  the  divine  right  of  pr* 
vate  judgment  from   the  scriptures.     With  regard  to  genera 
councils,  he  wishes  to  know  how  many  have  been  recognised  in 
the  church.     If  I  be  not  able  at  this  moment  to  state  with  nu- 
merical certainty  the  councils  which  are  received,  he  will  con- 
clude that  the  church  is  not  infallible.     I  tell  him  there  have 
been  eighteen  ecumenical  councils,  whose  definitions  on  articles 
of  faith  are  held  to  be  infallible.     If  Mr.  Pope  proves  that  any 
of  the  ecumenical  councils  have  sanctioned   any  thin<r  which 
contradicts  tht,  laith  of  the  Catholic  church,   that  indeed  would 
be, something  like  an  unanswerable  argument.     He  says  that 
some  councils  are  received  in  one  diocess,  and  others  in  another. 
There  never  was  an  ecumenical  council  held,  but  its  doctrines 
were  immediately  received  throughout  the  church.  But  it  is  not 
so  with  regard  to  local  discipline.     We  affirm  that  it  would  be 
scandalous  and  unchristian  to  break  communion,  on  account  of 
differences  m  what  is  called  local  discipline.    Mr.  Pope  dissents 
trotn  the  church  of  England,  either  inessentials,  or  he  does  not. 
if  he  differ  in  essentials,  then  there  is  no  union  in  the  Protes- 
tant churches.     But  if  his  cause  of  difference  be  not  essential, 
I  '^"J"^!/^^  seamless  garment  of  Christ—he  goes  out  of  the 
ark  of  Noah  without  necessity,  and  separates  without  excuse 
from  that  general  society  of  men-4he  Protestant  church,  and 
thus  becomes  a  factious  and  dangerous  member  of  society— 
What  says  the  Apostle  Paul? 

will/  JuT'^^-^*  y?  '^•m''  "^'"'^^y  ^^  the  vocation  in  which  you  are  called, 
with  all  fiumihty  and  mildness,  with  patience,  supporUog  one  another  in 
chanty,  careful  to  keep  tho  unity  of  the^pirit  in  the  bon3  of  peace,  oi" 
J.-VUJ  a:,u  uiic  spini;  as  you  are  called  in  one  hope  of  your  calling.     One 

ha  tKr°"^  I  u*  T-  ''^P^";?^  """^  ^°^  «"*^  f^'^ther  of  all,  who  is  above  all, 
and  through  all,  and  m  ua  all."-£;,i,«,  to  the  Epimims,  iv,  L  2,  3,  4,  5,  6. 


40 


THE     INI'AM.IBILITY    OF 


Are  oiffcrcncesjilloweij  here  ?     Is  the  cciiulurt  of  the  herfsiics 
and  reformers  justified  by  this  passage  ?     They  all  set  u[)  their 

right  of  private  jud<Tment,—Arius,Luthor,Calvin,(Ecolampadiu3 
and  Zuinglius,  the  last  of  whom  affirms,  that  in  the  words 
"  this  is  my  body,"  the  verb  "  is  "  was  used  by  Christ  for 
REPRESENTS,  Contrary  to  the  doctrine  of  Luther,  by  whom  he 
was  excommunicated. 

The  church  of  England  says  that  good  works  are  necessary  ; 
Mr.  Pope  denies  that  they  are.  Baptism  with  the  sign  of  the 
cross  is  received  in  the  church  of  England.  Will  he  show  me 
any  authority  from  Scripture  for  that  ?  We  are  told  in  scripture 
to  keep  holy  the  Sabbath  day— Mr.  Pope  violates  that  com- 
mandment, by  changing  its  object ;  or  he  must  admit,  that  all 
things  appertaining  to  salvation  are  not  contained  in  the 
scriptures.  Ho  still  sophistically  endeavors  to  raise  a  difference 
between  the  church  of  Rome  and  the  Catholic  church.  But  I 
have  shown  from  St.  Augustiri  and  many  other  Fathers,  that 
the  church  of  Christ  is  none  other  than  the  various  Christian 
churches  throughout  the  world  in  communion  with  the  church 
of  Rome.  Mr.  Pope  quotes  St.  Paid,  to  show  that  the  promises 
of  Christ  to  his  church  were  conditional.  'Tis  well  he  admits 
that  the  promises  were  made,  and  it  were  better  hail  he  not 
attempted  to  prove  them  conditional.  St.  Paul,  writing  to  the 
Gentiles  dispersed  at  Rome,  and  who  had  been  received  into  the 
church,  warns  them  against  vainly  boasting  of  their  election,  and 
their  having  been  preferred  to  the  Jews.  He  t«'lls  them  not  to 
glory  against  the  branches  (meaning  the  Jews)  who  had  been 
cut  off  through  their  incredulity,  but  rather  to  persevere  in 
righteousness  lest  they  should  be  cut  off,  and  the  Jews  again 
engrafted.  "If  thou  continue  in  his  goodness  (says  he,)  otherwise 
thou  also  shalt  be  cut  off." 

Mr.  Pope  rose  and  said, — My  friend  has  touched  on  several 
topics,  which  more  properly  belong  to  the  question  to  be  dis- 
cussed to-morrow.  I  shall,  therefore,  for  the  present  pass  them 
by,  and  proceed  at  once  to  my  subject.  He  says  that  our 
Saviour  did  not  give  any  command  to  write  the  scriptures.  But 
if  the  sacred  scriptures  were  not  written  by  the  command  of 
God,  then  they  cannot  be  inspired.  He  says,  that  I  cannot  show 
him  any  passages  in  the  Bible,  in  which" such  a  command  is 
given— In  the  book  of  Exodus,  xvii,  14,  Douay  version,  I  read, 

••  And  the  Lord  said  to  Moses;  write  this  for  a  memorial  in  a  boot,  and 
deliver  it  to  tiie  ears  of  Josuc,  for  I  will  destroy"  the  inernory  of  Amalec  from 
under  heaven." 

Again,  in  the  101  psalm.— "Let  these  things  ht  wrilUn  unto  anothei 
generation." 


THE    ROMAN    CATHOLIC    CHURCH. 


41 


In  tti«  30th  Isaiah,  8  ycrsc-"  Now,  therefore,  go  in  and  torite  for  them 
npon  box,  and  note  it  diligently  m  a  book,  and  it  shall  be  in  the  latter  davs  for 
atesliinoiiyjor  ever.  •'  •' 

Ezekiel,  xliii,  11.-"  Show  them  the  form  of  the  honse,  and  of  the  fashion 
thereot,  the  goings-out,  and  the  con.ings-h.,  and  the  whole  plan  thereof,  and 
all  m  prdmances,  and  all  Us  order,  and  all  its  laws  ;  and  thol  shal  wrul  i"  a 
InTdolh^m'"      ^'  may  keep  the  whole  form  thereof,  and  its  ord.nances" 

Hab.  ii  2.—"  And  the  Lord  answered  mc,  and  said :  xerite  the  ^i8ion  and 
make  it  plain  upon  tables :  that  he  that  readeth  it,  may  run  over  it/  ' 

Kev.  I,  1 1  -"  What  thou  sayest,  wnte  in  a  book:  and  send  to  the  seven 
churches  which  are  m  Asia."  "t-vcii 

19.h  verse  of  the  same  chapter.-"  Wnle  therefore  the  things  which  thou 
hast  seen,  and  which  ar..,  and  which  mm  be  done  hereafter  " 
Chap.  II,  I.— "Unto  the  angel  of  the  church  of  Ephesus,  write  » 
8  verse.-"  And  to  the  angel  of  the  church  of  .Smyrna,  writeJ' 
2  verse.-"  And  to  the  angel  of  the  church  of  Perganms,  tonVe." 
18  verse.-"  And  to  the  angel  of  the  church  of  Thyatira,  wrile.^' 

verse.-"And  to  the  angel  of  the  church  of  Philadelphia,  write." 
14  verse-"  And  to  the  angel  of  the  church  of  Laodicea,  write.    These 

Here  then  are  the  express  commands  of  our  Saviour  himself 
fpr  writing  at  least  particular  portions  of  the  word  of  God.  We 
shall  now  see  what  are  the  opinions  of  Fathers  upon  the  subject, 
bt.  Augustin,  de  Consens.  Evang.  lib.  i,  cap,  7,  says, 

*wTJi%*''''i  j^  ^'^  be  discussed,  which  some  are  accustomed  to  ohi.-ct  to— 
why  the  Lord  himself  wrote  nothing  ?     Pagans  chiefly  start  this  objection." 

And  further,  in  the  same  book  and  25th  chap,  he  says : 

"When  they  (meaning  the  evangelists)  wrote  what  he  show^-d  and  said 

^ZV?  r?"!  '?  ?'  '"^''"?^^  '^'^^  ^"^  himself  did  not  write;  since  he  astlul 

we  «l.n^fl     "''''?  k"  T"^^'"  '"'^  ''"^^'"  '  ^°'-  ^vhatsoever'he  wished  tha5 

Z  own  haSds."  """  '''^'"='''  '"'  ^°"""'^"'1«'^  to  be  written  as  by 

And  Gregory  the  Great  (in  Praefat.  in  lib.  Job.) 

"If  having  received  letters  from  some  great  man,  we  read  the  words  and 
-hould  demand  with  what  pen  these  wordt  were  written :  this,  indSd  wou"d 
be  most  ridiculous,  to  trouble  ourselves  inquiring,  not  so  muJh  ho  wasT.e 
author?  or  what  was  Ins  name  ?  as  with  what  pe"n  the  words  were  w^TtJen  " 
l  hT'  *'^^^«'«'":'  "'«  '^^'"'^'e  the  substance  of  the  letters,  and  acknoS^e 
theHoly  Spinttobetheauthorofthe  matter,if  wo  should  set  about  ir.irS 
for  the  scribe,  what  else  are  we  doing  than,  if  after  reading  letters  we  slmu  3 
vainly  trouble  our  heads  about  the  pen  they'  were  written  with." 

P  '^"M!!f  "f""''  '*"*^^'"  ^'^y^  (^P'^t-  l»b.  iv,  indict,  xii,  ep.  31. 
iraris,  17U5,) 

gZoiS  "Lire's?  ''"''^"'''  '"'  "  ''''''"'  '^'^'^^  ^^""^  ^'-  "•""'potent 

Christ*  il^f."^^'"^' '"  Rescript  ad  Liber,  tom.  i,  speaking  of 


savs 


?nd' N«:  T.±.ZS"  ""'  ^^«  P-P'-ts-He  it  .  who  has  composed 


Old  and  New  Testament 


the 


4* 


4S 


THE    INFALLIBILITY    OP 


My  learned  friend  made  some  observations  on  the  quotalioa 
from  Dupin.  The  opinions  of  Dupin  are  clear  and  distinct  upon 
the  subject ;  and  you  have  only  to  contrast  his  observations  with 
those  of  my  fri«?nd,  to  convince  you,  that  the  Roman  Catholic 
church  was  not  in  primitive  times  achnowledged  as  the  universal 
church.  He  also  referred  to  that  passage  in  the  creed  where  it 
is  said,  "  J  believe  in  the  Holy  Catholic  church."  The  creed, 
I  admit,  is  an  ancient  document ;  and  were  I  even  to  grant  that 
t  was  penned  by  the  Apostles,  Mr.  Maguire  need  not  have  given 
himself  the  trouble  of  proving,  that  the  universal  church  of  Christ 
was  called  the  Catholic  church.  I  admit  this  at  once ;  but  I 
deny  as  distinctly  that  this  term  applied  to  the  church  of  Rome ; 
and  until  Mr.  Maguire  proves  this,  I  maintain  that  his  other 
arguments  go  for  nothing.  I  know  my  friepd  attaches  great 
importance  to  the  authority  of  the  Fathers,  and  I  shall  now  allude 
to  a  passage  from  Tertullian  which  was  referred  to  in  my  lettei 
to  Mr.  Maguire.  In  order  to  secure  Christians  in  true  doctrine, 
he  recommends  them  to  consult  the  Apostolic  churches,  men- 
tioning the  churches  of  Corinth,  of  Philippi,  of  Thessaloniea, 
and  of  Ephesus,  as  well  as  of  'Rome. — Terlul.  de  prascrip.  aa 
H<tr.  §14,jo.  108,  109. 

Now  I  would  ask,  had  Tertullian  considered  that  the  church 
of  Rome  was  the  universal  church,  or  that  she  maintained  an 
authority  over  other  churches,  would  he  have  written  thus? 
Would  he  have  spoken  of  other  churches  in  the  same  strain  in 
which  he  speaks  of  the  church  of  Rome — had  he  considered 
her  as  the  supreme  or  universal  church  I  Truly  Tertullian  did 
not  place  her  in  so  high  a  rank  as  my  friend  would  have  us  to 
suppose.  In  relation  to  this  passage  which  I  have  quoted, 
the  Roman  Catholic  writer,  Beatus  Rhenanus  remarks,  that 
"if  Tertullian  were  to  utter  such  a  sentiment  in  his  day,  relative 
to  the  church  of  Rome,  he  would  not  escape  punishment." 
Rhenan.  Argum.  in  Tert.  de  Praec.  et  p'ibi.  Impres.  Basil, 
1621.  /  could  tnultiplij  many  quotalions  from  the  Fathers  to  the 
same  purport,  but  that  I  loiah  to  occupy  my  time  with  other  matter. 

In  the  Council  of  Chalcedon  it  was  decreed,  that  equal 
respect  should  be  paid  to  the  Bishops  of  Constantinople  and 
Rome.  And  I  would  ask,  can  any  thing  more  distinctly  prove, 
that  the  church  of  Rome  was  not  in  the  earlier  ages  looked 
upon  exclusively  the  church  of  Christ?  Or  can  any  thing 
more  directly  contradict  the  assumption  of  universal  authority 
claimed  by  that  church  ?  But  I  would  also  ask  my  friend,  if 
the  -church  of  Rome  was  in  the  first  ages  considered  as  the  su- 
preme or  universal  church,  how  does  it  hannen^  that  the  Aoostle 
Paul  addressed  epistles  to  several  churches  without  the  most 
distant  reference  to  the  authority  of  the  church  of  Rome ;  and 


THE    ROMAN    CATHOLIC    CHUKCIJ. 


43 


that,  in  the  epistle  which  he  addressed  to  the  church  cf  Rome, 
he  does  not  malte  the  most  indirect  allusion  to  her  being  the 
Catholic  or  supierne  Church,  much  less  to  her  possessing  the 
prerogative  of  infallibility]  Nor  is  the  epistle  even  addressed 
to  Peter,  who  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  Bishop  of  Rome. 
On  the  contrary,  we  find  the  epistle  addressed  "  to  all,"  (mark 
that)  "  to  all  that  are  at  Rome,  the  beloved  of  God,  called  to  be 
saints."  There  is  not  one  word,  you  perceive,  about  the 
boasted  supremacy  of  that  Church — nor  the  least  mention  of 
the  Apostle  Peter.  It  is  addressed  to  all  those  who  composed 
the  church  of  Clvrist  in  that  city.  Where,  then,  I  would  ask,  is 
there  the  slightest  ground  of  argument  to  show  that  the  church 
of  Rome  was  the  supreme  church?  I  assert,  that  Mr.  Maguire 
has  not  established  his  opinion  on  this  subject ;  while  on  the 
contrary,  it  must  be  evident  lo  every  one  pre;^ent,  from  the  pas- 
sages which  I  have  quoted  from  scripture,  and  from  the  Fathers 
also,  that  no  such  doctrine  was  entertained  in  the  first  ages  of 
the  church.  My  friend  has  brought  forward  the  word  "  con- 
substantial,"  to  show  that  words  have  been  introduced,  which 
are  not  to  be  found  in  scripture  ;  and  argues  that  the  term 
Roman  Catholic  may  be  also  admitted,  though  not  fotnid  in 
sacred  writ.  I  allow  that  there  are  many  words  used  by  theolo- 
gians which  are  not  to  be  found  in  scripture,  but  deny  that  this 
makes  for  his  argument.  The  terms  which  theologians  use,  do 
not  contradict  themselves  ;  but  I  appeal  to  common  sense,  is 
there  not  an  evident  contradicUon  in  the  term  Roman  Catholic? 
To  speak  of  a  particular  universal,  I  maintain,  is  absurd — 
"  Where  the  true  church  was  before  Luther,"  and  the  Pope's 
supremacy,  I  shall  consider,  when  we  come  to  the  question  of 
the  Reformation. 

My  friend  has  referred  to  the  passage  which  I  quoted  from 
St.  Augustin,  pointing  out  the  method  by  which  we  might  dis- 
cover the  true  church  of  Christ.  I  confess  that  I  was  not  a 
little  surprised  at  his  commentary  on  that  passage.  If,  however, 
he  admits  that  St.  Augustin  held  that  the  scriptures  were  to  be 
referred  to  in  contentions  with  reputed  heretics, — as  the  church 
of  Rome  considers  me  a  heretic,  she  should  condescend  to  refer 
me  for  the  discovery  of  the  mark^  of  the  true  church  to  the 
same  authority.  St.  Augustin  again  says,  "I  am  unwilling 
that  the  church  be  demonstrated  by  hunan  documents  but  by 
divine  oracles." — [De  Unitat.  Eccles.  c.  3.) 

I  did  not  cite  "  where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in 
my  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them,"  ^o  prove  the  invisi- 

uuiij     ui    i;it;    i;uuit.ii    ui    ^^.iiisi ;— "uur    uiu    i   Ulguu    Willi    lUO    OF 

three  constituted  the  universal  church.  What  I  said  was,  that 
the  church  of  Christ,  or  the  universal,  church,  consiste  \  of  the 


44 


THE 


iNFALLIBFLITy    op 

ever  two  or   throe  tee  assVlle;!."^  P-mised,  that   wnce. 
would  be  with  them  to  hl^.  Tk  T'^'""'  '"  *''«  "«"'«  he 

My  friend  ha.  r,u26:ot:;^:^,i:  ^^i^if^  °^'^  ^^-• 
gu'de  you  into  «//  truth."  Burhe  sho^M  rV'^  ^}"'''  ."^^^  ^^h«" 
sou.e  of  the  promises  refer  to  heVre^  h  TTu'''  ^'"'^  ''^'^^^ 
pose  the  church  of  Christ   otheTs^/       "^^  ^f  *'^^''"  "'^^^  ^^•"^- 

the  Con.forter,  " /o  brinx^  tn  /7.V     '  i    ^""^  ^'^''''t  protiiifced 

as  the  Apostles  did.     And  Srefore  it tm  T'  ''"^'^  ''''  "^^'^ 
a/e  some  of  the  promises   which  .         .    ^^'^^"'  ^^^^  there 

JVow,  I  affirm,  that  the  pas  Tires  1      \"'' ''"  *^' ^^"'h^''^-" 
-n.ings.  went  distinct /trp^^Teth'tt^  '^^"^  ''^^'^ 

the    infuliibility,  the   supremacy    nor  V      '^''^  "^'^'  "^'^^er 

church  of  Rome  was  acCwSed       Sh'    "'T''^^''''''^^   «^'  '^^ 
hat   Mr.  M«.uire  "  was  oT its^^^Vh    ^"""'^  '  f"''""t,  however, 

Fathers,"  what  does  t^coreLir Iru'nt' tof  T^t'  \  ''« 
Fathers  agamst  Fathers-and  how  shTlI  11  l^«t  we  have 
such  uncertainty,  ifwedenend  on T  V  ^^^  "^'^^t  of 

specific  cor.clusi;n?  I  hClre  do?'  .'  f ''  /"  ^'^'"^  ^«  ^"7 
present  discussion  maybe.  tharweshWH^^^  ^hnt  the  result  of  the 
board,  and  sailing  in  Ihe  ^rk  of  thp  i;"  T  ?^  ^'^thcrs  over- 
tures,  launch  out'upon  the  'reat  ocear^  ^r^'  ^'^  '^"'^  ^^"P' 
fnend  has  said,  that  the  verf Ln  of  .h  "''^'"^"^  *-'"*'^-     % 

the  pure  word  oi  God'firthat "ran  hted 7'"^^^'  -hich  containi 
t'oned  by  the  council  rf'l'lnTh.  ^y  Jerome,  and  sane 
nounced  an  edition  of  he  VuLtP  th  ,'""''^'^  ;»*  '^rent  pro- 
published  "quamemenda  isslml^' ':  'o  T  '■^''''''''^'  '^  *^' 
standard  edidon.  She  pronorc'ed  a  verT^^  "'  P^^^'^^^^-the 
the  time,  in  tUero,  that  had  not  scpn  T       ?P°".^"  ^^'^'«"  at 

the  Vulgate  was  published  by  the  Cvt.S^^     ^\^''''°"  «^ 
years  after  the  council  of  IW  ^p"^"'"  .^^^ctors,  about  thirty 

-g  of  this  edition,  and^vL  ng  for  .Z^T  ^*  "°^  '^'^'''' 
great  trouble  brouoht  in,r^thL^  f      "^"^"^^  correct  one,  with 

•Catholic  doctorslIrl^^utaTeT.?  ''"''  "^"^'^^  ^"^  «^^"^an 
and  Hebrew  originals  and  fh"  ^Af  ^°"^f^«^-^^  ^^ith  the  Greek 
considered  it  sf  pe  flc    th.t  in  hir  "'""f  ^^P'^^ed.     Sixtus 

any  one  who  shoufd  atLmprto  alt     11'"^'  •'"  ^'''''''^  '^^^ 
should   be   subject    to   tho   J  ■  "  """'"'^  particuia," 

three  years  aftei  tl L  ^.b  .ttiroTthl' ir^^t^^'^"-      ^"^^n 

-^-,  another  mad;  a:":;:;:^':;;!^:;';.;"^^^^ 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH.  45 

vidual  who  ^houl^-fn  'Li,rp,«ie,,r- ''^r*',  °"   "'°  '"'''■ 
alter  tl,o  edilion  puhlishe    bv  him       h   ' ,      ""^  '°"'"  P"'''''^'''' 

maculate,  been  take,^    T  a "^vt  fj  ^  Z7r''  ''  '^  ^?  '"" 
and  not  from  the  Sixtine      SnThl!  P        n^  ^'^^'"^"""e  edition 

Douay  translators  Co  [ncxfrredtii^"^''  u'*^'"'"'  ^^"'  ^"'^  '^^ 
preface  of  the  SixUrelTion     .       '      '.'^  »''""^"""^^  '"  ^^e 

2000  .ajo.es  exriSoiil^^'^Brt'Lt'n^^.T^'rr 

successive  editions  of  the  Douay  version  aie  to  hi  f      ,  "  ^^^ 

discrepancies.     If  the  present  editZ   n?    L  '"""""^  '"""^ 

learneS   friend  has  ma'^^ch  un  ^^t^^ 

pared  with  the  Clementine  and  sLf  nl    J^  ^*'''*^^'  ^^  ^°"»- 

to  differ  not  only  frorioth  the  T^r^'T'^'/'"^ 

also   from  preced'ingTditioiVof  ^""^tl^'T'^^' 

clearly  shown.     I  should  mention  thaVlpm;  .""""'*«»  h«« 

Sixtine  copies  to  guard  if  DoSlih         T"^  ^°"-^^  "'^  '''« 

charge  of  tiiiibiiityi  -  that^^ '  ;tpr;:^"rr:  ''•^'"  ^'- 

tant.  Thus,  we  have  Pone  acriinJ,  p?'  '  ^  ^'*''  '""^  ®^- 
doctor.  I  again  ask  4 '^eX^^r^or;  T^S 
maculate  copy  of  the  sciiixnrp.!  youuco  i  perlecl  and  im- 
catmotdo  so  Then  we  Lvlt;  .1  *'^"";  .^''""n  you  that  he 
either  with  havint  Tied  In  her  dutvt*'"  'l'\'"'^""'l<'  <^l'">cli. 
having  provided :  pe  feci  ediion^'r  "lit' J'",'' P'"''''- '"  "<" 
the  ottefhand,  with^n:bity"  Lice  sth  /.""','  '''  "? 
the  scriptures.     Let  my  friend  id  ,ni,i?l         ,      """-''I''"""  "f 

ask  whP. ,     of^thrbird'''i„f:rbm^rrVhu:.:iJ 
al^:r  a,r„u';retu  i::atr'orr,ii-^ »?-' 

better  version  of  the  scriptures  thMl  is  rh^?^^^^''  ""  ''"'■"  " 
need  not  here  occmv  Tlr        "        """"'''  '='"'  Produce.    I 

pains  an"d^;:;Trwr  tat:  ,;"ro;",f  ■"'  '"^  '^"^"•° 

and  res..rch,  in  preparing  the  ^!X:Xl^:,^::::Z  '^"=""    ' 

iio?„';„*'^  s;t.era  t!r:f  ■"  °"!  "rr"  "'^  i^^'  "i-^.  ^ 

ments,  has  spoken'^^f  the  Protrslan.Tlf"'''''''  ^^"""y  "'""»■ 
est  co,„,„e„d^ation.     He  obstyes"!.         '"  '"'"'  •"■  ""^  S'<'"'- 

»d..uy,  .„a  U.=  ..rict^c  a.,e„U„„  ^.„t'iS  ofllil'^S'  ^TST,! 


46 


I 


THE  INFALLIBILIXr   OP 


lexicon  of  ,„„  HiL„„  LTuag":::  iS  LTr  a'tr^Soi  .'""^  ""=  '^  ' 

each  succeeding  edition  ot"  the  Do^.v  Rl^       ''"'""■''•  """ 
nearer  and  nearer  to  the  Pr„.l«!    ,       ^-     '^'^  =>l'Pro^i>"ales 

circu,„,,ance  an  aeknowLJl^    ?hr,r"p      '"""  '"  ""'  ""' 
considered,  even  bv  ?h.  if         '  n   l"',"  P™'"*"""'  version  is 

accurate  In  their  L„?  ''°'"''"  ^"""'''"  '''"''-1'^  »«  -"ore 
.hell^rd'Zr'ltnVl'h '  f^-t' M-rV"™^"""!'''  'S 

commanded   to  wri  p   tn  Vh.  .'      .  ■.  <ar  the  apostle  is 

geneial  conclusion  is  drawn  hv  Mr  Pnn^  th^*         o     • 
raanded  the  New  Testatnent  to  Le  li,  en      Tife"Ar;r'"- 
commanded  to  write  to  the  angel  of  tir."  «■*  „f  Llf  '! 

'  ♦Rrohi  n"'  ""r'T'"""  "'  °"^'""'  ""'  ^     ^«^  ^*^^t  is  tlie  human 
Right  Reverend  James  Doyle,  Bishop  of  Kildare  aad  Leighlin. 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 


47 


n^rl  A  .  ^^  great  mass  of  mankind  composed  of  the  ig- 
n?r«nt  and  lower  orders  ?  It  is  only  when  every  man  is  allowed 
to  read  and  mterpret  the  Bible,  that  an  is  allowed 

„         .  "-^  ''"le  learning  is  a  dangerous  thin"." 

scoffed'af  ^  t  '^""7"  ^T^^"^--^'  ^"d  the  cht;;ch  of  Christ  is 
out  Franl;  „   7/^'  ^^  '"'^  T'""'  ^^^^  '"^^^«"'>'  'P'^^^  through- 
k    n„r.     ^  ^^""«»/'     It  i«  «"••  duty  to  read  th«  Bible,  but 
ea  Hhe  Bihl"^'[  f  r''"  ^'''^""^^tances:    I  love  the  Bibi;-I 
rhir  .^'^'^-I  bel'eve  .t  to  be  the  infallible  Word  of  God. 
Chustw.ll  not  allow  his  children  to  use  good  food,  wherb> 
the  circumstance,  of  the  case,  it  might  be  converted  into  poLn 
Would  you  give  to  a  child  food  of  an  indigestible  qualtriTe 
Catholic  church,  knowing  from  experience  the  danger  of  an  i 
discriminate  perusal  of  the  scripUares.  directs  thaihe  sacrTd 
Tt'calT''  X  ""V'^'  K'"'"'  "^«  -"*  ^he  due  disposU bn 
rTJdin/f^^  L'   ?"''.^  ''  "^.•j.*  J"  .^"^'^^'"S  the  indiscrimiiiat; 

M  pie  ht  H  '^^"T*  '^  -^^  ^'^'"  '^^  ^t  ""  imperfect,  as 
Mr.  I'ope  has  been  endeavouring  to  prove  it,  that  would  be  a 
strong  argument  that  it  should  not  be  put  into  tL  hinds  oHhe 
Ignorant  and  illiterate  without  due  caution.  Mr.  Pope  m,o^^ 
U^e  authority  of  Pope  Sixtus,  that  the  scriptures  sM  not  be 
altered  from  h,s  edition,  "  ..  in  minima  par iLla.^'  ^  ^' 

0.1    state  ^^h'^.rr'rr'  Z^""  ''''•'*"  ^^^  catechism  of  the  cour*- 
cil,  state,    that  Catholic  doctrine  shall  not  be  chan<red  ne   in 

mmmapamcula.  Allusion  is  here  made  by  the  Pope  to  the 
faith  conveyed  n  the  book,  and  not  to  mattes  of  disc  pi  ine 
In  faith  we  y.eld  to  the  authoritv  of  the  church,  which  7s  Th^ 
holy  Fathers  say,  is  the  solution'of  all  difficul  ies.  I  tiU  here 
o?  r  R  M  ^^^t  'I  'TP^'-^  '^'  «'-^-^'»^  ^»d  Clementine  edtL.s 
thinJ  in^^n"'\'^'  \"'"'  ^"'°^^^'  ^"^  -«  i^  he  can  find  Z 
Sriibl  Th?  '^^^^'^^^^^^  ^»d  faith  different.  He  talks  of 
hnn?  •  V  h^^  "ndergone  more  substantial  chanaes  than  anv 

t'r  mat  Ty^r  ^^  'X'wh  T''''  ^^OOotrc! 
Pjo^noting  infii^^hS^  .^^  i:!^^!:^:^^^^ 
Lie  ^".^,r^^^  '^'  "r^''^"^  corruptions  in  the  Protestan 
be-     Mofp.  r  !."  "^«"?P'«-T'»  the  nineteenth  chapter  of  l^uZ 

st  n£  and  t?^^?  'f'  '^'  'l^''  ^^  ^  heifer  that  has  bero 
sdcr  need,  and  to  sprinkle  them  with  the  water  of  exnintinn 

them,  must  nevertheless  go  astray."  ^ 


r    I 


48 

THK   rNFAr.r.rBriJTY  op 

Luther,  quoting  the  words  of  St.  Paul, 

the  la'^-Tuli:;!!;:^  ti:  t:ti!:\  z7\  "y  ♦^'^•'.  -thout  the  works  or 

the  GennnM  'alUin.'  "^  add^  to  tlie  text  (he  word  'only;'  in 

And  wheu  upbraided  with  this  sacrilegious  addition,  he  replied. 

the  p  X  ^n-;si:i;;;:;^  -  ^^riS'  ^7  ^^.^^r  ^^^-^  ^^ 

•s  a  (locfor  al.on,  «I|  l>opiJh  ZTtVBRn^2Zl    "\^':,^^'''l"'  Luther,  who 
ass  are  synonymous  terrL  -JS  im  .1  it"  '  "'"'  '^'  ^'"P"  ''"^  «" 

I  hold  myself  responsible  for  the  Vulgate.     I  challpno-^  W 
to  show  ,ne  a  material  error  in  (hat  transhtion      T   ^        " 

however,  denfesanvcn.rrh''  ^'"'  '''''"'^  '''  ^^''  ^^P^^ 
any  man*  ifobl  .^to  y  d  TH'  "^ -thority  to  which 
fiom  St.  Chrysolto.,^     H^ ttys.!!!      ""''  '°  ^'"  '"^  P««-g« 

forJsS  ^Sa^e^^r  rcT"  C  T' ?'''''''' V  •'overcome  ;  no 
earth-evon  stronger  t  an  S;_f>?%5'^^^^^^^^  .s  much  stronger  than  the 
Luke  xxi,  33.)  \Vhat  m'o  ds  are  ZJ^T  ?''  ?';"'  '^"^^  ^''^^  ^^'^V,' 
a'^ninsl  herV  (Matt  xv  Tsl  R„J  r  '  '^'  ^"'"."-^  *'"  •'''«"  ""'  Wevall 
fact..  How  many  t^n't  hive  a  iilS",.t"'l'  *''f  ''7^-^^  ^^^^^^  to 
torments-what  pisLut^^ons-wfrt  fit?  'rh  "■■''•  f,G}o/-how  many 
^''"u/j,  rfe  E^pulsione  sua,  tZe  iv,  p.  34?  '^  '°"'^  ''^*''"'  "^^^'"S." 

Il-he'^ayi:^!""''^'  "  ^"^^  ^^^^"^'^  ^^'^  ^-*."  tome  v,  chap. 

ful  that  Christ  h,iilt  his  church  li  all  ml  fh'  'H'  'L''  "'^^  ^'°"«  «0"^er. 
herimpro.nabio,  and  in  n  t|  7J  i  ^^a,  'Lta' kf  V^l''  '*^'''  ^e  rendered 
not  prevail  against  her'— thit  l«   .,1?!  '^"'^"'^s-'  The  gates  of  hell  shall 

and  lead  toT.ell      Have  vo'    «%ness?r,K-~""'.''^"-^"  ,'^^*  produce  death 
the  certainty  and  stren^^thrf  the  e  ent  ?   Hnv   ^'■"^""°"  I    ""^'^  ^^^  •>«hcld 

.n  the  t.ct,  L  the  powe,^:!SsnsL^:;^::;;5ij:thr  5^^ 

trie  Catholic  church  was  then  for  the  first  tim^  -La  |*"'}ns» 

muruoa  w.th  the  see  ot    Home.     This  is  the'church  oF  wS 
St.  Augustin  says,  Contra  Evislolmn  Fundamenli--  ^ 


Jt  the  works  of 
yard  '  only ;'  jn 

n,  he  replied, 

*npist  object  to 
in  Lutlier,  who 
e  Popo  and  an 

allonge  him 

I  receive  it 

Pope    will 

only  against 

I'he  C'ntho- 

icriptures — 

Mr.  Pope, 

y  to  which 

a  passage 

vercome ;  no 
ger  than  the 
pass  away,' 
[/  not  prevail 
ivp  credit  to 
-how  many 
-t  nothing." 


e  V, 


chap. 


insider  what 
)ne  wonder- 
le  rendered 
of  hell  shall 
duco  death, 
you  beheld 
manifested 
hings?". 

e  has  en- 
e  Roman 
Fathers, 
Catholic 
:e  of  the 
B  Arians, 
I  distinc- 
luded  all 
in  corn- 
3*"  which 


THE    ROMAN    CATHOLIC    CHURCH.  iff 

norLrlneTh^reloT  "^^  ^^'P^''  '^^«  '"^°"'y  <>f  ^^  C.U.oIic  church  did 
And  in  his  book  De  Sijmholo, 

ch;;rIi:;:Ll^%^lSr.'7i  CathoUc  church-the  tru. 

cannot  be  overcome.     A\\  CTol^V^^^Z^^^  ""'^^^^^^  but 

branche,  cut  off  from  the  vinSrbe'aJr  "  •  ^"^"■**?  ''''^' ''"^^  "»«'«■ 
to  thcstock-fived  incharitr„nJ  •  .'^'T''.'"'"3fi»ed  to  the  root-fixed 
prevaU:  "  ^  '"  *'''"">'  """^  '^S'^'""'  which  the  ^gat»  of  btU  shall  mt 


.he^CaI|'i:'chu?ch'"a't»''^'r™  *"  1"»h  of  Ro».e  and 

t:  rr  oVst  nrz  ctr  -  ^'.  "v --^n 

.ba  whole  flock,  ,o  be"^hs„ teTn^twe^Td's  "  T"  °^ 
•n  his  letter  to  Pope  Damascusfs"p,!l    ^'        "''  *'•  "'°™™' 

antichrist's."  scauerelh— that  is,  he  that  is  not  Christ's  is 

And  again  he  says, 

whiJhX  f i"oS  tV^r  "'y'"  "S"™«  with  o„.  »y  of  U«  ™. 

Kr;::^^;:  VJlenf"''?  rn-r  -^S"r:ii 

authority  of  he''  clS  MrTot'",.'''  ^'•™l'',=>""»i'  '»  *. 
Let  him  make  the  flTble  ieak  ?H '''°  VP^r'" '"  ""«  '""• 
finger  upon  the  Bibb  >     iftl    '  BIr- Maguire  laid  his 

cannot  decide      If  hi'.,         /  f°°'  ™'»  "^  ''""'',  truly,  if  it 

shall  b?orvtted'Lti/s:t  .'"bn";- ;;;!  i'L  "■""^  A  i 

he  should  not  set  ud  as  i  nX  If  r  •  t  u  ,'°  """""  ™"««' 
pronounce  a  decision      AccoJh-      ."■'  "  ^°'?''  "''''='>  <=»■>■«>' 

is  .0  judge  «.atrriecfd:rup  nCttTi^S  "•  ^hV"""'* 
tures  are  the  rule  of  our  condiirt  thl  t  i  •  ^^^  ^^"P" 
scnptures  is  the  rule  of  our  fdth  Th.  f  interpreting  the 
and  venerate,  iust  as  w^l  tK    *  scnptures  we  reverence 

The  royal  priphe  lauZd  ntt  '""^f'  °/  ?^"''  ^"^  ^'^  ^^^nts. 
they  ci//«;^'.;  j|"^tte  .t,^'^^^^  ^^"^"^^'  ^«<^-"«« 

judge  of  contro^versi;s,  expo  e  them  to  Itr"^'"'''  '^'  '""^^ 
cause  at  the  best,  they  arlC  !  i  u  •  f  ""'^'"  ^^"tempt,  be- 
unable  to  pronounce  ^  '^"'^^  J"^S"»  ^"-^  consequently 

n^^^-Z^'"'''^^  of  faith  which  are 

faith  not  to  be  found  in~ti^''^"^  '''^"  "^"^^^  '«Hny  articles  of 

T  r.i.h  „..  «.^u,;';:,:t:,:rt,™'s-;„,^^^^^^^^^ 


60 


THE    INVALLIBILITT    OW 


disciplea,  that  he  has  many  more  things  to  suy  (o  fhem  which 
they  are  not  as  yet  able  to  bear ;  but  he  pron.Les  a t Te  I,m« 
Ume  to  send  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  wouId^InZ^t  then    i  f  d 

on  f  1 1  ^""  ,'''^''  "''"^'^  ""^'h*  ^^"^^  been  shocked  by  the 
too  sudden  re^vdat.on  of  divine  truth..     If  such  was  the  caut  on 

ttoZo^L^^T!  ''-'Y^^.^^'^^^P-^'^^^^^osy  much  more  ouTht 
Mr  pI^^'^'7^^  ^°^"''^«  th«  poor  and  ignorant  of  mankind 
Mr.  Pope  endeavors  to  glo.ss  over  the  fooleries  and  fanatici^sm 
generated  by  the  principles  which  he  advocates.     But  "t      e v^ 

who  Jrm 'fhV'^""^'  '^''  ""'5«'"^d'«nd  the  weak-m  nded, 
who  form  the  great  nmjoiity  of  mankind,  can  alone  proceed 
safely,  when  conducted  by  a  living  guide.     If  they  be  a  Ced 

iomZt  r  '"^^f  '^^'^  ^"^  'hemselve's,  en.bark  withou   chart  or 
compass  upon  the  wide  ocean  of  opinion-if  they  are  allowed 
to  think  upon  matters  of  faith  as  they  please,  the  result  w  U  be 
they  W.II  give  ^vay  to  prejudice  and  passion,  and  substitute  he^' 
own  judgment  for  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ.     When  Mr 
Pope  hands  the  Bible  to  the  poor  and  ignorant  Prote^tan    how 
can  he  know  that  .t  is  the  word  of  God.     When  the  ProtesJanl^ 
arrives  at  the  years  of  discretion  he  must  receive  it  from  L 
parents  from  some  clergyman,  or  from  Mr.  Pope,  and  the  only 
reason  he  can  assign  for  his  believing  it  is.  thaf  he  received  U 
from  them  or  from  Mr.  Pope.     Let  the  o.h;r  rule  be  examfned 

ine  Dettei.  1  he  child  receives  the  scriptures  upon  the  authority 
of  that  church  in  reference  to  which  St.  Augustin  sa  d,  "  I 
would  not  receive  the  gospels,  unless  upon  the  authority  of  the 
Catholic  church."  I  may  here  remarkf  that  there  were  at  one 
MJth"  "^•■^"^^*'°"  ""«  «P""ous  copies  of  the  gospel  of  St 
tol?"^     i:'"*?  pretending  to  be  the  true  original!     The  apos 

Is  elitr^Thrr  '"^r  ^°"^"'^^>  ""^'^e  genuineZ;y 
ascertained.     The  church  pronounced  her  decision,  upon  which 

scHn^n?"   ;"''"'u^  ^''/''''^-     ^^  Mr.  Pope  insists^upoHe 
scriptures  bemg  the  sole  rule  of  faith,  then  why  does  he  not 

MfltinTfTJ'^*'     As  the  Lord  says  to^islisclpre 

It  1,  being  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your  feet ;  you  also 
ought  to  v^ash  one  another's  feet."     If  he  cannot  sho  v  me  Jhat 
this  IS  no  a  commandment,  let  him  show  me  why  he  d^es  no 
continue  to  obey  it.     Let  him  also  justify  from  scripture  "he 
change  m  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath.  ^ 

K„o^''i^?*'''/°^*'  ^"^  said  r— Gentlemen— my  learned  friend 
has  asked,  when  we  are  individually  all  fallible,  by  what  proTess 
can  we  arrive  at  an  infallible  decision?  I  ask  my  f  lend  Se 
■ame  question.  He  has  lold  us.  thnt  h.  hoi:.,,..  .k/i,"1":- .* 
iaUible,  and  all  the  bishops  and  priVsts'of'i'e  S^mbVcS  to 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLie  CHURCH. 


51 


bo  fallible.     Now,  I  should  wish  to  know  by  what  method  they, 
who  according  to  Mr.  Munjiiire's  owi  confe.s.sion  are  all  fallible 
can  beconjo  infallible  ?     lie  tells  tne,  that  if  n>y  doctrines  be 
adinitlod,  a  young  child  must  rennain  an  Athoist  until  he  arrives 
at  yeurs  of  discretion.     Now,  what  do  I  find  the  scriptjie« 
saying  on  this  subject?     "Train  up  a  child  in   the  way  he 
«hould  go,  and  when  he  is  old  he  will  not  depart  therefrom." 
1  he  Psalmist  declares,  "  that  out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  and 
sucklings  God  has  perfected  praise  :"  and  the  Saviour  remarks, 
that  "  the  things  which  are  hidden  from  the  wise  and  prudent, 
are  revealed  unto  babes."     1  readily  admit,  that,  in  the  first 
instance,  in  a  great  degree,  the  faith  of  the  Protestant  child,  as 
to  the  authenticity  and  inspiration  of  the  scriptures,  must  rest 
on  the  veracity  of  the  parent.     And  I  ask  Mr.  Maguire,  is  not 
this  the  case  with  the  children  of  Roman  Catholics  ?     How  can 
^  r  irui^"  Catholic  child  believe  that  (he  church  of  Rome  is 
infallible,  or  that  she  possesses  any  authority,  unless  the  child 
receives  these  opinions  on  the  authority  of  the  parent? 

Do  we,  in  point  of  fact,  find  more  Atheists  among  the  children 
of  Protestants  than  among  those  of  the  Roman  Catholic  com- 
niunion  ?    Let  (acts  decide.     But  my  friend  says,  I  argue  in  u 
vicious  circle,  because  I  prove  the  inspiration  and  authority  of 
the  sacred   scriptures  by  the   right  of  private  judgment,  and 
maintain  the  right  of  every  man  to  exercise  his  judgment  by  the 
authority  of  the  scriptures.     But  this  exerciaa  of  the  jud.mient 
is  an  inherent  right,  implanted  in  man  by  the  G«d  of  Heaven,  to 
wnom  we  are  accountable.     There  is  no  other  wav  rriven  of 
discovering  truth.     We  possess  a  natural  right  to  exercise  our 
judgments  on  the  contents  of  any  document  purporting-  to  be  a 
revelation  from  God.     The  Apostles  themselves  appealed  to 
the  judgments  of  men.     There  is  no  other  mode  of  deciding 
upon  the  authority  of  the  scriptures,  but  by  the  exercise  of  pri- 
vate judgment.      And   a  subsequent  appeal   to   the   inspired 
oracles  m  confirmation  of  the  right  of  private  judgment,  does  not 
militate  against  the  laws  of  sound  reasoning.     1  deny,  there- 
fore, that  I  argued  in  a  vicious  circle.     But,  on  the  contrary,  I 
assert,  that  this  was  the  case  with  my  friend,  Mr.  Maguire. 
V>  hat  were  the  arguments  which  he  made  use  of  to  show  the 
authority  of  his  Church  ?     When  asked  to  prove  her  authority, 
he  refers  to  the  scriptures ;  and  when  again  requested  to  prove 
the  authority  of  the  scriptures,  he  jqfers  to  the  church.     Just  as 
H  J  were  (to  give  you  a  familiar  illustration)  to  take  two  books, 
and    place  the  one  upon  the  other— thus.— (Here  Mr.  Pope 

tnKina  turn  hnrklz-a   rrm.r,  ..  „_ t:...!     -ii       .      .•  ,.  •  .  .      '  . 

1  he  same  part  cannot  be  at  once  the  superstructure  and  the 
loundaUon.     If  the  church  gives  authority  to  the  acripturea. 


6% 


Tim    INrALLIBILITT    O? 


then  (he  authorily  of  the  church  must  be  independeril  oft.,. 

thonty  of  the  church  ;  and  we  cannot  apnea    to  the  ohun-h  L" 
^oTCc'l^ee'^'ha""*^'-     '''  ""™"'  '"-d  haT  atu  d\,^ 

"nwi'^S  Z't'^r'  \""'''''  tocer.aintlS.ol 
aniues,  and  to  the  Bible  as  the  ground-work  of  the  Chri^tmn 

fo"h.     Now.  I  would  ask,  whose  creeds  is  the  most  defied 

m.ne,  which  .s  contained  in  the  book  of  God,  h     B  blT  ^^ 

aiLrUvTf"":  '  "^;  I'-'r.^"'  ^^  ^^"^'•^'  councils,  of 'the 
authority  of  some  of  which  doubts  are  entertained  ;  and  to  the 
u  lainmous  consent  of  the  Fathers,  scattered  through  a  muhi 

te/°tr-c:::ritd^,l^^^ 

Tn"  t.y  r'').'*''  '""''T''  ^"•-  ^''P'^S  the  first  day  of  the  week 
instead  r)f  the  seventh.  I  answer,  that  we  find,  that  the  dLt 
pies  assembled  together  on  two  successive  first  days  aftei  th« 
Saviour  rose  from  the  dead.-(John,  xx,  19,  2^)  In  4cts 
XX,  7,  we  are  told,  that  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  the  ^LiT' 
met  together  to  break  bread.  And  In  I  Co  xvlt  the  nf  'c' 
•ce  appears  to  be  confirmed.     Such  then  was  the  custof.or 

We   now   follow  their  example.     My  learned    onnnnJu    l 
asked,  if  the  Bible  be  the  rule'of  faith  Ld;:aciceTa'n2t  we' 
are  bound  to  obey  it,  why  do  I  not  wash  my  brother's  fee    as 
commanded  by  our  Lord  to  do  so  ?     Now,  I  reply,   hit  weL? 
m  an  eastern  country,  T  would  do  so  with  leadhfes        We  al 
are  aware,  that  in  eastern  connh-Jpc  n»  o,...,.,^t  -~^^.- 
heat,  .t  IS  regarded  as  an  act  of  kind'ness  to^^^l't  rgue'st^X 
may  have  travolled  from  a  distance,  in  taking  off  lifZZt 


THE    ROMAN    CATHOLIC    CHURCH. 


58 


and  in  presenting  water  for  his  fe  it :  but  as  this  climate  is  tem- 
perate, my  judgment  leads  me  to  suppose,  that  I  am  not  called 
upon  to  "  ^yash  the  teet  of  my  neighbor."  With  respect  to  the 
passages?  which  I  quoted  from  the  Apocalypse,  I  bog  to  say,  that 
1  did  not  quote  them  partially;  the  quotations,  when  consulted, 
will  decide.  I  did  not  argue  from  a  particular  to  a  universal. 
I  merely  showed,  that  there  were  dintinct  commands  given  for 
writing  at  least  portions  of  the  word  of  life ;  and  these  com- 
mands are  recorded  for  our  instruction.  With  respect  to  the 
C  ementme  edition,  I  assert,  that  the  Douay  version  is  from  the 
Clementine,  and  that  consequently  the  translators  have  subjected 
themselves  to  the  penalties  imposed  by  Sixtus. 

My  friend  has  said,  that  neither  he  himself,  nor  scarcely  anv 
one  else  belteves  m  the  infallihility  of  the  Pope.  Need  I  a^ain 
say,  that  tlie  Italians  believe  implicitly  in  the  infallibility  of  the 
irope  ?     Cardinal  Bellarmine  says. 


and 


''^\l^e  ^TT'''^  "■■  ^^^""^^  '.°  '"'''■  ^"  "«  tocommand  the  practice  of  vice 


good,  and  virtues  to  be  bad  !  !»-De  PontifK  Romriibriv;  capTs^ i/i>. 

Cardinal  Zabarelli  informs  us,  that 

"The  Pcpecan  do  all  things,  whatsoever  he  pleases,  even  unlawful  thin^ 
andts  more  than  God!!"-De  Schism.  Sul.  Serm.  ScriVt  p"  yj'*''^'"*  ^'''"S"' 

Masonnus  says, 

Vil'johan Ji'lX  "''"  ^""^^^  '''"'"°*  ^'^^^  ''"  '^•*^°"*  P™'««  •'  -'"-Lib.  iii. 

My  friend  told  me,  that  the  divines  in  the  church^  Rome 
are  allowed  to  exercise  their  private  judgment  on  matters  of 
discipline  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  and  I  trust  the  same  privilege 
will  a  so  be  granted  to  the  people.  He  asks  me,  how  k  a  poor 
man  to  decide,  when  I  hand  him  the  Bible,  whether  it  is  really 
inspired  or  not?  I  briefly  answer,  when  I  hand  the  s«riptures 
to  a  person  in  the  humbler  walks  of  life,  should  he  express  any 
doubt  of    ht.r  inspiration,  I  would  say  to  hiin-«Read  this 

ctrLm  God."      '"  ""'  '"^^^"  ^"  '^  P^^°^«'  '"^^^ ''  ^- 
I  now  ask  my  friend  in  reply,  how  is  the  peasant  to  examine 

ctjnh^K'  7"%''"!""^'!  ^'^'"^  "°"^^'"  the  councils  of  the 
church  of  Rome  ?  And  without  such  examination,  how  can  he 
truly  ascertain  the  opinions  of  his  church?  This  question 
appears  to  me  infinitely  more  perplexing  than  that  proposed  by 
Mr.  Maguire  We  do  not  assert  that  the  authorized  Bible  is 
nnmaculate,  but  maintain,  that  it  fully  gives  "the  mind  of  th. 

wTLiTV""''''  ''  Tu''  f  ^"^  "•'^""'•''  «^  ^^"<h  and  morals: 

gint.  which  was  not  immaculate,  a  circumstance  that  may  lendei 

5* 


94 


THE    inrALLIBIMTT    OP 


US  satisfied  with  translations,  though  not  absolutely  perfect. 
Sixtas  speaks  not  only  of  Claitsu'a  and  Periodns,  but  also  of  mi- 
nma  parlicula.    Compare  the  Clementine  and  Sixtine  editions  of 
the  scriptures,  and  it  is  clear  the  Douay  doctors  considered  the 
Clementme  the  better  of  the  two,  since  that  is  the  edition  which 
they  have  followed.      That  discrepancies  exist  between  the 
Sixtine  and    Clementine  editions,   is  a  matter  of   notoriety 
amongst  theologians.     With   respect  to  justification   by  faith 
alone,  he  refers  to  Luther ;  but  I  would  refer  him  to  the  epistle 
written  to  the  church  which  he  claims  as  his  own,  the  church  of 
Rome.     In  the  third  chapter  of  the  Romans,  and  20th  verse, 
it  IS  said,  "  We  account  a  man  to  be  justified  by  faith  without 
the  works  of  the  law."     He  chnrgfs  me  with  denying  the  im- 
portance of  good  works.     I  distinctly  assert,  that  I  desire  to 
witness  the  fruits  of  righteousness  universally  exhibited  ;  but  I 
hold  that  the  only  mode  of  laying  the  foundation  of  morality,  is 
to  proclaim  justification  by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God.     No  other 
doctrine  can  touch  the  heart,  or  withdraw  it  from  the  love  of  the 
world.     A  Christian  lives  not  to  himself,  but  to  him  who  died 
and  rose  again,  that  he  might  be  Lord  both  of  the  dead  and 
living.     Fixing  his  eye  on  Calvary,  he  sees  the  evidence  of  his 
own  sm,  and  the  redeeming  mercy  of  his  Saviour.     Though 
deeply  feeling  his  own  unworthiness,  through  the  blood  of  Jesus 
he  IS  freed  from  embarrassing  anxiety— and  as  an  adopted  son 
—can  pour  out  his  soul  before  him ;  for  »  God  so  loved  the 
world   that  he  gave  his  only  begotten   Son,  that  whosoever 
beheveth  in  him  should  not  perish  but  have  everlastincr  life." 
He  desires  to  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency" of  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus,  and  grounds  his  hopes  of  accep- 
tance exclusively  on  his  merits.     He  is  enabled,  in  some  humble 
measure,  to  run  in  the  way  of  his  commandments,  because  he 
feels  himself  not  to  be  his  own,  but  Christ's— by  creation  and 
redemption,  purchased  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  therefore 
bound,  by  interest  as  well  as  gratitude,  to  dedicate  himself, 
body,  soul,  and  spirit,  to  the  glory  of  God,  which  is  his  reasona- 
ble service. 

My  friend  has  desired  me  to  point  out  a  passage  in  the  Vul- 
gate, m  which  there  is  a  single  error,  or  which  differs  in  the 
slightest  particular  from  the  originals.  I  shall  refer  him  to 
the  passage  m  the  1 1th  of  Hebrews,  where  the  Apostle  says, 
that  "Jacob  worshipped,  leaning  on  the  top  of  his  stafl^" 
TTQosBxvpaev  em  to  au^op  t^s  iuvwv  ^a^dov  or,  as  the  words  are 
in  the  V  ulgate,  "  adoravit  cacumen  virgce  ejus,''  or,  in  the  Douay 
Bible,    "adored  the  * —   -^  >---        '"      «.     ,  .  J 


ton    nf   hia    vnA  "         «♦ 


T 


UUCh 


llOl 


agree  with  the  interpretation  received  by  the  church  of  Rome. 
—(Qutts.  Hebr.  in  Genes.  Erasra.  Edit.  vol.  vi,  p.  228.)    In 


•-■^mfm^, 


■•mmmmm*'' 


THE    ROMAIC    CAXriOLIC    CHURCH. 


65 


proof,  that  the  ehurch  of  Rome  has  not  furnished  an  authorized 
and  immaculate  commentary,  hear  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Doyle,  in 
answer  to  a  question,  before  the  Lord's  committee. 

"You  consider  yourselves  pledged  to  all  matters  contained  in  these  notes? 
— No,  not  by  any  means ;  on  the  contrary,  there  were  notes  affixed,  I  believe, 
to  the  Rhemish  Testament,  which  were  most  objectionable  ;  and,  on  being 
presented  to  us,  we  caused  them  to  be  expunged.  The  notes  cahrt,  in 
OUR  EDITIONS  OP  THE  BIBLE,  NO  WEIGHT ;  for  wc  do  not  know  the  writers 
of  many  of  them.  If  we  find  them  clear  enough  in  explanation  of  doctrine, 
we  leave  them  there ;  but  whenever  we  find  any  thing  exceptionable,  we  put 
them  out,  as  we  have  done  in  the  cases  I  have  referred  to." — Dr.  DuyUU 
Evidence  before  the  House  of  Lords,  p.  222. 

I  assert  then,  that  we  have  strong  proofs  against  the  infalli- 
bility of  the  church  of  Rome ;  inasmuch  as  she  has  not  been 
able  to  furnish  a  per/eel  edition  of  the  scriptures — nor  a  standard 
commentary — except  we  choose  to  take  the  unanimous  consent 
of  the  Fathers,  as  contained  in  the  numberless  and   massy 
volumes  that  have  emanated  from  their  pens !     My  friend  haa 
talked  of  a  ray  of  light  which  would  dry  up  all  the  streams  of 
Protestant  opinion^ — I  wish  he  would  now  suffer  that  ray  to 
beam  upon  us.     If  he  be  able  to  produce  such  a  light,  is  it  not 
uncharitable  in  my  reverend  friend  to  allow  us  any  longer  to 
remain  in  the  state  of  darkness  of  which  he  speaks  ?     But  my 
friend  has  also  brought  forward  the  numbers  attached  to  his 
church  as  a  proof  of  her  universality.     Numbers,  permit  me  to 
say,  are  no  proof  of  truth.     If  such,  however,  be  regarded  as  a 
proof  of  universality  and  infallibility,  the  church  of  Rome  cannot 
be  the  universal  or  infallible  church.     It  has  been  ascertair.ed, 
that  there  are  at  present  seventy-five  millions  of  Protectants, 
and,  in  addition,  fifty  millions  belonging  to  the  Greek  church, 
who  also  protest  against  the  church  of  Rome.     Now  the  aggre- 
gate of  these  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  millions  ;  while 
the  number  belonging  to  the  Roman  Catholic  church  amounts 
to  but  ninety  millions.     So  that  we  perceive,  even  in  point  of 
numbers,  this  wonderfully  infallible  and  universal  church,  when 
weighed  in  the  balance,  is  found  wanting. 

Mr.  Maguire  has  asserted,  that  the  Bible  is  a  dumb  judge, 
and  unable  to  pronounce— yet  we  find  that  the  Saviour  consid- 
ered it  competent  to  decide  ;  for  he  again  and  again  appealed 
to  the  Old  Testament  scriptures—"  Had  ye  believed  Moses,  ye 
would  have  believed  me,  for  he  icrote  of  me." 

It  is  worthy  of  observation,  that  Bellarmine  (de  Conciliis,  1, 
i,  ch.  6,)  gives  us  a  list  of  general  councils  joar/Zy  confirmed  and 
partly  rejected ;  and  (in  c.  v,  and  Rom.  Pont.  1,  iv,  c.  11,)  he 
says,  that  several  things  in  those  councils  allowed  to  be  general, 
were  foisted  in  by  heretics— he  knows  not  how.  My  learned 
opponent  is  correct,  according  to  Delahogue,  as  to  the  numbers 


S9 


THE    INFALLIBILITT    Or 


admirthi  ^,J""'^l'^--5:^'t.  strange  to  say,  Delahogue  himsell 

spt^LnT  !  ^^*''^''^«'  J^^  Observes,  confess  that  as  to  some  of  it, 
i>es3ions  It  was  ecumpniril  •    th^   Tt„r  '^  "«>  i"  »w7flc oi  us 

I  beg  to  remark,  that  Delahogue  must  include  the  counril  „f 

.=pir^£tS£^»S£Shh^^ 
Kam^;V;uxrpi^Lr:rvi:L'rt 


THE   ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 


57 


stand  t9  such  decrees  ?  He  cannot ;  he  will  not.  What  then 
becomes  of  the  infallibility  of  general  councils  in  his  estimation? 
Again — we  have  had  contradictions  the  most  o|)posite.  The 
council  of  Constance  deposed  three  Popes  and  declared  the 
papal  authority  was  subject  to  a  council.  We  may  ditler  about 
the  signification  of  passages  in  the  scripture,  but  we  can  appeal 
to  common  sense — to  the  context — or  to  the  analogy  of  faith — 
but  we  cannot  appeal  to  an  infallible  tribunal  to  decide — for  the 
existence  of  such  a  tribunal  is  tiie  matter  in  debate.  But  facts 
can  speak — counci',  is  against  council — Pope  against  Pope. 
The  church  of  Rome  has  not  yet  been  able  to  decide  as  to  the 
seat  of  her  supposed  infallibility ;  and,  by  referring  me  to  the 
unanimous  consent  of  the  Fathers  to  discover  the  doctrines  of 
scripture,  bids  me  to  waste  my  life  in  wandering  through  their 
ponderous  folios.  Facts,  such  as  these,  lead  me  at  once*  to 
conclude,  that  the  church  of  Rome  is  nut  infallible. 

Mr.  Maguire — I  have  first  a  few  words  to  say  in  reply  to 
Mr.  Pope.     He  has  endeavored,  but  in  vain,  to  get  over  the 
difficulty  which  I  called  upon  him  to  solve,  namely,  how  a  Pro- 
testant child  could  receive  the  Bible  as  the  inspired  word  of 
God.     The  child  could  only  receive  the  scriptures  upon  the 
private  judirment,  or  the  authority  of  the  minister.     If  he  receive 
the  scriptures  upon  that  authority,  and  that  such  authority  be 
recognised  by  Mr.  Pope,  then  the  question  is  settled.     Mr. 
Pope  endeavored  to  illustrate  his  argument  by  placing  one  book 
on  the  top  of  another,  and  he  gets  out  of  the  ciicle  in  which  he 
is  involved  .by  upsetting  both  books.     I  defied   Mr.   Pope  to 
point  out  an  error  regarding  matters  of  faith  in  the  Latin  Vul- 
gate.    He  appeal^ed  to  a  passage  in  Hebrews  where  he  asserts 
it  is  said  of  Jacob,  "  adoravit  cacumen  virgae  ejus."     Now  in 
the  first  place,  the  quotation  is  false  and  the  Latin  is  bad— the 
words  are,  "  fastigium  virgae  ejus." — The  controversy  here  is 
about  the  Greek  word  fnt.    It  signifies  towards  the  top  of  the 
staff,  as  well  as  the  top  of  the  staff.     The  latter  is  the  better 
translation — every  man  who  knows  Greek,  knows  the  Greek 
word  will  bear  both  meanings.     This  passage  has  been  very 
ably  discussed  by  Dr.  Lingard,  who  is  fully  qualified  to  sustain 
it.     I  can  assure  the  learned  gentlemen,  that  he  is  very  far,  in 
this  instance,  from  proving  the  existence  of  an  error  in  the  Latin 
Vulgate.     I  said  that  no  Catholic  is  bound  to  believe  in  the 
infallibility  of  the  pope  ;  and  I  re-assert,  that  it  does  not  from 
an  article  of  Catholic  faith.     Divines  have  had,  and  may  still 
have  theif  private  quarrels  about  it.     Bui  such  diflerences  from 
no  breach  of  communion,  as  the  subject  matter  in  dispute,  forma 
no  article  of  Catholic  faith.      »♦  Upon   this   rock"  ^ays  our 


58 


THE    INFALLIBILITY  or 


Saviour,  "I  will  build  my  church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  no 
prevail  against  her."  Here  is  the  infallibility  promised  by  ouf 
Lord,  and  claimed  by  the  Catholic  church,  and  not  the  infalli- 
bility of  the  pope,  which  my  learned  adversary  M'ould  cram 
down  the  throats  of  Catholics,  "  velint  nolint"— -as  an  article  of 
Catholic  faith. 

I  called  upon  Mr.  Pope  to  produce  any  ecumenical  council 
which  contradicted  another  in  matters  of  faith.  It  is  strange 
that  he  should  quote  what  he  has  quoted  regarding  the  taking  of 
an  oath.  I  affirm  that  every  oath  should  be  taken  in  truth  and 
justice,  and  in  judgment.  No  man  should  swear  to  any  thing 
for  which  he  has  not  the  evidence  of  his  senses,  or  a  certainty 
approaching  to  mathematical  precision.  A  person  who  would 
swear  contra  statuta  patrum^  would  not,  undoubtedly,  have  such 
evidence  to  sustain  his  oath.  I  repeat  in  the  face  of  the  learned 
world,  that  what  Mr.  Pope  has  quoted  from  the  councils,  forms 
no  part  of  their  decision  upon  matters  of  faith.  When  a  council 
decides  upon  matters  of  faith,  it  employs  a  certain  invariable 

form — "  Si  guis  dixerit,"     "  If  any  person  shall  say,"  &c, 

"  anathema  sit,"  "  let  him  be  anathema."  When  this  form  is 
employed,  the  dtecision  is  upon  an  article  of  faith — I  told  you 

already  there  were  eighteen  ecumenical  councils They  never 

issued  an  anathema  in  the  above  form,  where  an  article  of  faith 
was  not  concerned.  But,  in  matters  not  connected  with  faith 
or  essential  morality,  a  council  may  err.  The  infalhbility  of 
general  councils  extends  only  to  matters  of  faith  and  essential 
discipline.  The  promise  which  Christ  made  to  his  church  was, 
that  she  should  never  teach  error.  Our  articles  of  faith  are  well 
known.  I  defy  any  one  to  produce  me  a  general  council  which 
has  contradicted  another  general  council  in  matters  of  faith. 

Mr.  Pope  speaks  vauntingly  of  seventy-five  millions  of  Pro- 
testants. Where  are  they  1  They  do  not  exist — unless,  indeed, 
you  collect  under  the  broad  standard  of  Protestantism  many 
sects,  who  differ  more  from  each  other  than  I  do  from  my  friend, 
Mr.  Pope.  I  ask,  when  you  separate  all  those  jarring  sects, 
where  are  the  millions  of  whom  Mr.  Pope  speaks,  with  all  the 
artifice  of  a  practised  rhetorician  ?  But  Mr.  Pope  would  rather 
amuse  us  with  powerful  declamation,  than  descend  to  the  vulgar 
level  of  argument.  Is  it  honourable  to  adduce  against  me  the\ 
Arian  council  of  Basil?  Is  the  Catholic  church  to  be  account-  ^ 
able  for  thiR  conduct  of  those  whom  she  had  formally  excommu- 
nicated ?  I  have  proved,  that  in  the  Catholic  church  exists  the 
authority  to  put  down  error.  Other  churches  tolerate  a  super- 
ficial conformity,  and  introduce  into  their  bosoms  vioers  that  will 
gnaw  their  very  vitals.  See  how  the  Puritans  overturned  the 
established  church,  and  kicked  out  the  bishops  of  Scotland.    It 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 


69 


18  conttary  to  the  spirit  of  the  Protestant  church  to  condemn 
error,  and  yet  she  retains  the  Athanasian  creed,  which  proves 
that  in  her  nature  she  is  not  tolerant.  But  she  prudently 
exhibits  this  species  of  toleration,  for  otherwise  her  churches 
would  be  deserted,  and  the  conventicles  crowded  to  excess.  If 
the  king  of  England  has  no  choice,  but  must  remain  a  Protes- 
tant «»f  the  church  of  England,  is  not  that  a  betrayal  of  con- 
science, and  an  inroad  upon  the  exercise  of  private  judgment? 
Is  the  Athanasian  creed  characteristic  of  that  toleration  of  which 
the  church  of  England  boasts  ?  The  man  who  swears  against 
the  doctrines  of  the  Catholic  church  perjures  himself,  as  the 
council  of  Lateran  declares.  For  it  is  not  possible  he  can  be 
certain  that  the  oath  he  takes  is  true.  How  can  any  man 
swear,  that  the  doctrines  of  the  Catholic  church  are  damnable 
and  idolatrous  ?  The  oath  is  not  that  he  believes  them  so,  but 
that  they  are  so  for  fact. 

The  declaration  of  his  majesty,  prefixed  to  the  homilies, 
declarer,  that  the  thirty-nine  articles  of  the  church  of  England 
contain  at!  things  necessary ;  and  it  strictly  prohibits  all  differ- 
ences from  them  :  "  we  will  not  allow  (it  says)  the  least  devia- 
tion." The  church  of  England,  then,  is  not  a  particle  more 
tolerant  than  the  church  of  Rome,  though  it  evinces  a  great 
variance  in  its  practice.  If  the  Protestant  clergyman  believes 
that  a  church  has  been  established  by  Christ,  he  should  uphold 
it — if  he  does  not  believe  so,  why  should  punishment  be  inflicted 
on  those  who  separate  from  the  comnmnion  of  the  church  of 
England  1  Ought  not  the  Protestant  clergyman  contend  against 
those  who  rise  in  opposition  to  that  church?  If  they  be  the 
successors  of  St.  Peter,  and  if  the  Holy  Ghost  has  endowed 
their  church  with  the  spirit  of  grace,  as  they  would  make  us 
believe,  she  should  exercise  her  authority,  and  not  give  the 
sanction  of  her  name  to  every  spawn  of  the  innumerable  sects 
that  range  themselves  under  the  banner  ot  Protestantism. 
Johanna  Southcote  exercised  the  right  of  private  judgment, 
when  she  announced  herself  as  pregnant  with  the  Messiah. 
Every  man  of  sense  must  allow,  that  by  private  judgment  we 
never  can  prove  the  inspiration  of  the  scriptures.  Why  then 
will  Mr.  Pope  not  receive  them  upon  the  authority  of  the  Catho- 
lic church,  instead  of  resorting  to  the  authority  of  frail  and  falli- 
ble man? 

I  asserted  that  Christ  never  gave  a  positive  command  to  write 
the  New  Testament.  If  St.  John,  at  Patmos,  was  ordered  to 
write  to  particular  churches,  that  does  not  by  any  means  prove 


that 


HOPf^ni!  f-fsmmnnH 


Testament  should  be  written,  particularly  as  St.  John  wrote 
about  facts,  and  not  about  doctrines  to  those  particular  churchef . 


to 


THE  INFALLIBILITY    OF 


TK®  Vl-n  !?•  ".^^'"'^  ^''""^y  y^""'^  '^"^  t^'apsed  from  the  death  of 
Ihe  people  of  God  left  ,n  the  meantime  without  a  rule  of  faith 

ch^h  V?^  '"  ^'^""i  '^^"^  ^     ^^«  •*  "«t  the  Roman  Cathoc 
church  that  converted  these  islands  from  paffanism--nXsinM« 
nes  sent  from  Rome  to  England  rescued  /Lf  aTd  from  Sry' 
and  pagamsm      The  Christian  church  was  cemented' n  heS 

aTe    sf  pl''r^°^'"'^^^'"-^'lJ^'>'-^°"^  P°P««  >"  «»^'ce'sion 
Fnl  fi         u     •'^'"'"'^  """"'^y^  ^"'"  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ 
Forty.five  others  are  canonized  saints-I*.  otestants  also  have 
he.r  samts ;  and  churches  are  dedicated  to  saints.     I  may  here 
in  passing,  remark  that  Catholics  do  not  worship  the  s2s~U 

of  r  titir '  '"^^"^^^  ^"  -'-  ^^  «'"^  ^-  -*«  ^-.e!; 

me!fL*hnt??  ^^  ""* •  ^^*  ^"«'"Pted  to  answer  my  direct  ar^u- 
advanced  and^^^^^^^^^  the  holy  FathersAe  has  indeed 

Sons      If  rr„th  r    K  ""^^  ^"  ^^'y  ^""'  ''''^'^^  ^«Pti""«  objec. 
!^!"f*  ,  ^^"^  Catholic  happens  not  to  know  the  history  of  every 
general  council  which  has  been  held,  the  conclusion  dmwn  from 
such  premises  by  Mr.  Pope  is,  that  the  church  of  ChrisM^ 
proved  not  to  be  infallible.     Has  Mr.  Pope  quoted  any  tex  s  of 
scripture,  direct,  plain,  and  obvious,  like  those  I  aSZced?     I 
ttsubieTr,?'"  --"t{  P«»-ages  from  the  Fathes  upon 
n  one  if  L'"^^^^^^         L'"^  ^^"^  to  you  if  the  time  permitt^ed? 
in  one  of  them  the  church  is  compared  to  the  ark  of  Noah  out 
of  which  no  one  shall  be  saved.     I  deny  that  we  look  unon  a« 
Protestants  as  herotics-we  consider  Arius,  LuTher!  Calvfn  &c 
who  have  separated  directly  from  the  churck  as  he^S    'fi^t 
as  St.  Augustin  says,  we  do  not  consider  the  children  or  de- 
scendants of  heretics,  as  formal  hereUcs.  unless    hey  remafn 
obstmae  and  contumacious  in  their  errors.     I  am  opposed  to 

Dy  Mr.  i^ope—but  I  have  already  stated  that  it  forms  no  oai  t  of 
tiie  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  is  no  recXed  by  the 
Catholics  throughout  the  world.     I  may  copclude  this  day's 

wkhrrK^^T'^r^'^^^S  ^^"*  Christ  promised  he  would^ 
wuh  his  church  teaching,  preaching  and  baptizing  untillUco^ 


% 


ssmsm^:;mm" 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT    OP   PRIVATE    JUDGMENT.  6| 


Second  Day.— Friday,  April  20. 


SUBJECT.— TA«  Divine  Right  of  Private  Judgment  to  pro- 
nounce upon  the  Authenticity,  Integrity,  and  Canonicity  of 
Scripture,  and  to  determine  its  meaning  in  Articles  of  Faith. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  Chair  was  taken  by  Dawiel  O'Con- 
MELL,  Esq.  and  Admiral  Oliver. 

Mr.  Maouire  rose,  and  called  on  Mr.  Pope  for  proofs  to 
sustain  his  rule  of  faith,  which  he  (Mr.  Maguire)  understood  to 
mean  private  judgment. 

Mr.  Pope — I  shall  preface  my  observations  this  day,  by 
assuring  the  present  meeting,  that  I  was  under  the  full  convic- 
t;on,  that  I  should  yesterday  have  had  an  opportunity  of  replying 
to  Mr.  Maguire's  last  speech.  Mr.  Maguire  spoke  six  times, 
while  my  addresses  were  but  five  in  number.  In  justice, 
therefore,  the  right  of  reply  was  vested  in  me  :  but  as  the  chair- 
men were  divided  on  the  point,  and  as  1  felt  that  my  arguments 
against  the  infallibility  of  the  church  of  Rome  had  been  cogent 
and  satisfactory,  I  waved  my  privilege.  I  cannot  avoid  noticing 
the  bold,  and,  I  must  say,  unfounded  assertion  of  my  opponent, 
that  I  did  not  touch  one  of  his  arguments.  Gentlemen,  you  will 
decide  on  that  question.  I  regret  that  it  is  the  fashion  of  many 
advocates  of  the  church  of  Rome,  to  substitute  barefaced  asser- 
tion and  high-sounding  language  for  solid  arguriient. 

With  respect  to  tho  proofs  of  the  right  of  private  judgment,  I 
shall  first  adduce  negative  evidence.  If  there  be  no  infallible 
tobunal,  man  is  under  the  necessity  of  exercising  his  judgment. 
1  shall  therefore  make  (partly  in  reply  to  Mr.  Maguire)  some 
remarks  on  the  infallibility  of  the  church  of  Rome.  And  first, 
1  beg  to  say,  that  Mr.  Maguire  has  not  proved  that  the  church  of 
Rome  IS  the  churcli  of  Christ.  The  passages,  i  maintain,  which 
ne  adduces  from  scripture,  do  not  demonstrate  the  infallibility  of 
3ny  church— much  less  the  infallibity  of  the  church  of  Rome. 

It  IS  remarkable,  that  the  church  of  Rome,  which  has  defined 
every  thing,  has  never  given  a  definition  of  herself!  In  the 
conferences  previous  to  the  decrees  of  the  eleventh  session  of 
the  council  of  Irent,  Vincent  Lunello,  a  Franciscan  friar,  pro- 
posed that  a  definition  of  the  church  and  her  authority  should 

The  motion  was  rejected.-(Sarpi's  History'of  the  Council  of 
Irent,  1.  n.  p.  165.  Geneva,  1625.)     If  the  church  has  not 

6 


M 


THE    DIVIWE    RIGHT 


defined  herself,  how  arc  her  votunes  to  discover  the  source  from 

adam  ed,  .f  f  nns  ake  not,  that  in  the  primitive  ages  tie  church 
of  Rome  was  n.,t  looked  upon  as  the  Cath.lic  church 
snvor  "  &r''l  I"  ^'r-:'^  ^^-"«"^  '**  the  salt  has  lost  it, 
l^ressly^^^^^^^^  '^'^  ^-»^-»  '«  his  travela. 

of  the  salt.     In  this  snvi^lw.\,r^,?.?  u     %♦"«  «-'>nt">"nl  taking  r-vay 

Piece  of  it.  oflSZ';an'elZ^^^^^^  'tr^'r''^'  "t •'  '  ■'"'^^  » 

H*.,.«,..,and,.«./«oFsa,t;;erhaV;^^^^^^ 

ih.  fr' V^^?  u^'  ^"  asphaltic  substance,  which  was  u^ed  bv 

jhowiKl^^ 

codd  not  have  alluded  to  the  inn.llibility  of  the  AposUes         ^' 

Does  my  Ir.end  mean  to  say,  that  the  Six.ine  and  Clementine 

editions  do  not  vary  in  minima  particula  ?     I  have  a  woTk  now 

ture"M:\:h^hT''  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  the  Scrp" 
tures,  ,n  which  he  g.ves  us  a  specimen  of  the  discreoanr L 
exK.ting  between  the  Clementine  and  Sixtine  editions.^"'  to 
Jacob  worshipping  the  top  of  his  rod,  as  the  Douay  T^statelt 

^  t:l'^t^  The  o"""-  '}t  1'^  '^^^^'^  ^-'  quo'ed^rtTe 
oeptuagmt.      The  origmal  Hebrew  word  in  the  47th  of  Genesis 

and  31st  verse,  to  which  St.  Paul  refers,  according  to  the  dif 
feent  pointing,  signifies  both  "  a  rod  and  a  bed."  I^^e  Douay 
B  ble  translates  the  passage  (Gen.  xlvii,  31,)  thus  :  "And  he 

can  at  ,,,.,,  whether^  tob  ado?ed  ^:}^I^ 

IS  not  a  gross  mistranslation  ofthe  original  text. 

of  Laiefan^^aT  '"nTuf  I'r'  '^^  ?"""^  ""''  ^^^  ^^'^^  -«"n<^» 
o L  ?         ',  (^'/'"^  1^0  relative  to  the  persecution  of  hereiir.^ 


OP    PKIVATE    JUDGMENT.  M 

papa  exhortntion{$  aermone,  recitata  aunt  in  pUno  concilia  capihda  Mtptuat^nta. 
i}H(B  aliis  placnbilia,  aliis  viJebautur  onerom."  Let  tho  case  ha  how  it  will,  it 
IH  cerlnin,  that  these  canons  wi-re  not  made  by  the  council  but  by  Innocent 
III,  who  presented  them  to  the  council  ready  drawn  up,  arvl  ordered  them  to 
6e  read  ;  and  that  the  prelates  did  not  enter  into  any  debute  upon  them,  but 
;hat  their  silence  was  taken  for  an  approbation." 

Is  it  not  evident,  therefore,  that  th  canons  were  forced  upon 
Ate  council  by  Pope  Innocent  III? 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Murray,  in  his  examination  before  the  Com- 
mon's committee,  p.  223,  when  asked, 

•'Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  explain  the  nature  of  the  authority  of  the  Pope?" 
replied,  "  he  is  the  executive  power  of  the  church ;  his  office  is  to  enforce  the 
observance  of  the  canons." 

I  would  remark,  that  the  Pope  possesses  also  a  dispensing 
power — The  Maynooth  class-book  informs  us, 

"  That  the  Pope  may,  according  to  circumstances,  dispense  even  with  the 
laws  of  a  general  councd,  whenever  a  legitimate  cause  shall  arise."— P.  360. 

Mr.  Butler  states, 

"That,  in  the  opinion  of  all  Roman  Catholics,  it  belongs  to  the  Pope  in 
extraordinary  cases  to  act  in  opposition  to  the  canons." 

Do  not  these  statements  sufficiently  demonstrate  the  supreme 
power  exercised  by  the  Pope,  both  in  council  and  out  of  councii  ? 

Mr.  Maguire  was  offended  by  my  reference  to  the  council  of 
Basil.  I  ask,  was  the  council  of  Basil  ever  retrarded  as  a 
general  council?  Bellarmine  (de  Eccles.  Milit.c.  16.)  remarks, 

:  f'S'^^u^f  ««""«' "^  ?^^'' ^"  "*  ^'^^  '^  *•■"«  ecumenical  council  and 
nfallible.  but  afterwards  became  a  schismatical  convenUcle,  and  of  no  au- 
thority  at  all !"  '  " 

Again,  Bellarmine  says,  (De  Roman.  Pont.  1.  ii,  c.  11.) 

"The  council  of  Basil,  by  common  consent,  and  with  the  legate's  concur, 
rence  concluded  that  a  council  is  above  the  Pope,  which  is  now  riahtiv 
judged  erroneous."  "o"»y 

It  is  a  fact,  that  there  is  no  standard  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
faith  in  general  use  in  this  country.  Dr.  Doyle,  speaking  on 
this  subject,  says,  •>        r  & 

"Besides  the  articles  enumerated  in  the  creed  of  Pius  the  fourth,  there  ari. 
others  to  be  received  as  of  faith.    These  are  defined  in  the  sacrS  Canons  Jf 

hl^^f  '"Tr*""^  'TT^  ^l^""."'  '^^^^ '"  P^^t'  «"d  «^  ^vhich  no  account  can 
be  obtained  from  the  formularies  to  which  the  Roman  Catholic  bishops  have 
referred  to  as  authen  tic."- Z^r.  Doyle^s  Evidence  before  the  House  ofL^7,p  1 80. 

So  much  for  Dr.  Doyle's  opinion  upon  the  subject. 

As  we  have  seen  that  great  uncertainty  exists  with  respect  to 
general  gouncils,  I  ask  again,  (as  Mr.  Maguire  has  not  solved 
*u  ^  --■-"/  •••"•••'  tixv  ^.naiavici  ui  iiiu  council  is  to  decide 
the  orthodoxy  of  the  doctrine,  or  the  orthodoxy  of  the  doctrine 
to  decide  the  character  of  the  council  ?     If  the  former',  who  is  to 


04 


THE    DIVINE    RIoilT 


il 


council ;,-;  i^nt^m  n  rt:  "..:id"A";,'".r 

received  as  general,  a,,  well  as  the  first  nf  IvT, .  tJi     ^■'' 
been  alike  called  by  imperial  m.thorL?     Jlr  M  ,  ^""",5 

M.g„i;e  remarkLta.  r  rc^erf'Xe'p"""     ^«'"."  ,*■'• 

"the  universalchu,^"  I  L  ■"""!  ""J'".'^  "">  -eaning  „( 
Catholic  Cra  chielin  Ir.l,..C  ?"  """'  "/ig"!""'  «>e  Roman 
bodies  are  confessedl  V  f  dS' '"  i  ''"'"u  °"^^  "'"'"''ere.    These 

.,       ,,      '"  "e  general,  were  foisted  m  by  heretir«i      VVorv..  I 

:t:  rreX^retl'at-S  ""-•"''  '^t^'''^^^'^"^ 
polafions  of  heretics '  ill  '"T^^'  '"  '^""  ■"">  '^^  >"<"■ 
are  but  par  iailv  received  i^lo'"''  "."°«''»g  '"  Delnhogue, 
in  otherr.  S  TnsHnce  .h„,  7?™'™'' ""''  "l-olly  admitted 
the  ecume„ici"y  of  Ihe  fi^' ,  °    "^ ,^""?l""«.     Some  doubt  of 

remarks-        '""""'^^'«  ^"'^  inherent  holiness.     The  canon 

vPrortheZordfl^^^^^^^  ^.h«  ^-p.e  of  God,  the 

should  becorne  the  slaves  orcLlierinte^nd'lSannLsr^^h^  ^^at  Ihey 

Bu^hXVrs:?^,^^^^^^  '^^  ^^"-^'  «P-^^  «^--ge. 
and  SSS^S^^^;'-''^  ^^^  ""'^««'«'J>  but  whoi^monger.     .  . 


n 


or    PRIVATE    JUDGMENT. 


6ft 


On  this  subject  the  Bible  is  directly  at  issue  with  the  church 
of  Rome,  therefore  she  cannot  he  infallible— Again,  nennit  me 
*°  ^^r'.rLT®  I, to  grant  for  the  moment,  that  the  church  of  Rome 
18  mtalhble— IS  there  not  much  danger,  lest  mistakes  should 
occur  m  the  mterpretation  of  the  meaning  of  her  councils  { 

•  r  nl  r*''^  V^''^^  °"  ^^^  ''''"'"^  ""^  ^^"^  church  of  Rome  to 
mlallibility.  I  have  appealed  to  scripture,  reason,  common  ^pnm, 
and  facts.  How  shall  we  decide,  whether  Mr.  Mag.ure's  opiwm 
on  the  subject,  or  mine,  be  correct  1  U  I  find  a  church  contra- 
dictmg  itseh,  I  have  prima-facie  evidence  that  she  is  fallible.— 
Ihe  council  ol  Constance  deposed  three  Popes,  who  attempted 
to  sit  together  in  the  chair  of  St.  Peter  (which  was  well  nigh 
broken,  as  Fuller  says,)  and  appointed  another  Pope.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  council  of  Florence  and  Trent  have  raised  the 
authority  of  the  Pope  above  a  council.  Here  is  a  palpable 
contradiction  on  the  authority  of  the  Pope.— Again,  the  council 
ot  liiphesus  decreed — 

♦u  "  TJ".^  'V^-^?'!!*^  ,"°^  ''*'  '"*'""'  *o  ""e"*'  ^'"•■'e.  ^r  compose  any  other  faith 

han  that  which  had  been  defined  by  the  Niccne  Fathers ;  and  that;  lY  any  Unred 

to  offer  any  other  creed,  if  ecclenaslics,  they  should  be  removed  from  their  ofnce. 

Cone 'torn' iii       fi"'  ''^'^  ''"'^'^  *'  an<KAemal.zed."— (Labb.  et  Cos.. 

Here  you  observe  that  the  council   of  Ephesus  deposed 
ecclesiastics  and  anathematized  laics  who  should  compose  any 
other  faith  than  that  which  has  been  defined  by  the  Nicene 
Fathers.     Compare  the  Nicene  Creed  with  that  of  Pope  Pius 
andyou^yill  find  the  latter  di/Tering  from  thefoimerin  many 
[Kirticulars,  and  containing  many  articles  not  to  be  found  in  the 
Nicene  Creed.     I,  therefore,  without  hesitation  conclude,  that 
we  have  "the  church"  of  one  age  contradicting  "the  church" 
of  another  age.     Again—the  second  Nicene  council  declares, 
that  one  reason  for  worshipping  the  image  of  Christ  is,  that  he  is 
not  sensibly  present  with  us,  but  onbj  in  his  Divinity ;— Act  iv, 
p.  305.     And  the  epistle  of  Germanus,  received  by  the  council* 
says,  that  he  is  not  present  "  aw.uaTtxw,'"  bodily.     It  also  anathe- 
maltzes  all  who  assert  that  Christ  xvas  not  circumscribed  as  to  his 
humanity.     I  ask,  are  not  these  opinions  plainly  opposed  to  the 
doctrine  of  transubstantiation?     But  the  church  of  Rome  now 
receives  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation.     A^ain,  therefore, 
we  have  "the  church"  of  one  age  against  "the  church"  of 
another  age.     Let  these  contradictions  go  before  the  world,  and 
that  world  will  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  church  of  Rome 
IS  not  infallible.    Believe  me,  it  is  this  claim  to  infallibility,  which 

will    oriVA  iKa /^aoiVi    Kl»...  *»  iU~  -I L    _ /•  r>  t^,         / 

--  j_.._  ,,.,.  vf-,tiii-t^.i7,T  iv7  uic  yjiurcu  ui  ivomc.  ofte  dares  not 
alter  a  single  tenet ;  her  doctrines  are  written  as  with  a  diamond 
—they  are  engraven  on  tables  of  brass,  and  she  cannot  reform 

6* 


99 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


I  therefore  rcpuat  Ihat  her  vain  assumption  of  infallibility  will,  in 

vhich  X"t7?  ,r^  Providence,  give  her  the  death-blow 'b? 

which  she  shall  fall.     If  then,  there  be  no  infallible  tribunal  in 

;rivrKrnr  "°^ '-  "-^^^  ^'^  --^-^^^  ^^^----^  o^ 

unSooTthlf  ""^  '^'  "^K""^  P"^^*^  judgment,  it  should  be 
«nv  .!  7  .  *  "^t  "'^^"  "°^  *^^^*  ^^^'■>'  "^""  is  justified  in  putting 
any  explanation  that  fancy  may  suggest  on  the  word  of' God! 
—  ne  must  exercise  our  judgments  as  accountable  beino-s 
accordmg  to  the  rules  of  connnon  sense,  and  the  analogy  of 
scnpture.  mth  due  submission  to  the  moral  restraints  arising 
trom  the  opuuons  of  men  of  sound  understanding  and  pieiy.-l 

tents  of  any  work  which  he  may  peruse,  is  justified  in  adopting 
luZ  ?  >^-g'"-t-ns  of  his  own  brain  as  the  meaning  of  thf 

Tr^A  ^''"''^  '"'^^"^'^  ''^J^^^  '"^h  an  absurd  opinion.  But 
m  reading  the  scriptures  we  are  not  only  to  exercise  our  judgment 
with  the  same  care  which  we  would  bestow  upon  other-'volumes  ' 
but  as  beings  accountable  to  God,  and  as  deeply  interested  in  the 
concerns  oj  an  eternal  world.  These  are  considerations  by  which 
a  man  .s  solemr^V  called  upon  to  exercise  his  judgment  upon 

lhi.'h  f  *""'"'•'  ^^  '^'^  '"^^P'^^^  records-these  are  rules  by 
which,  I  conceive,  he  is  to  be  guided  in  that  exercise.  The 
misinterpretation  of  the  law  of  the  land  is  no  justification  for 
Uie  commission  of  Illegal  acts;  nor  will  the  misunderstanding 
oj^  Orod  s  blessed  word,  on  the  great  fundamental  truths  of  the 

.lA'!*  11"  '^!lf "";  f'''^  ^""y  '^^""^^  ^^  ^'■'•«'''  ^ut  win  expose 

o  2  ^"^^  ""[  P""^^"  judgment.  Truly  it  is  an  extra- 
Lr'^?"*"'!!',  '  i"^  '  J"'*'^"^  •"  employing  .my  intellectual 
faculties  ?  >\hy  are  faculties  bestowed  on  me^ if  they  are  not 
to  be  exercised?  If  I  am  not  to  exercise  Ihem,  is^iot  my 
accountability  destroyed  t  The  church  of  Rome  must  allow 
her  own  votaries  to  exercise  their  private  judgment  on  the  proofs 
of  her  authority.     They  must  lay  the  foundation  of  their  system 

d?n  n?K  •'"'^^T^"*'"  ^"^  if  they  can  lay  the  foundation,  why 
Should  they  not  be  competent  to  raise  the  superstructure  1  If 
they  must  examine  the  basis,  whv  should  they  not  be  allowed  to 
exercise  their  faculties  upon  the  nature  of  the  edifice  which  rests 
word  of  God  ^'^'"'"  ''^  a  personal  matter.     It  is  written  in  the 

I' Every  man  shall  bear  his  own  burden."— Gai.  vi  6. 
xiv,  12^'"^  °"^       "^  ^'"'"  '''''^'"'  •""  ^^^°""^  to  God  for  himsel/.^'-Rom. 

iiiu  luea  01  an  inialhbie  tribunal  requires  me  to  give  ud  the 
exercise  of  my  faculties,  in  opposition  to  the  natural  constitution 


OP    PRIVATE    JUDGMENT. 


67 


of  the  human  mind.  I  cannot  believe  any  thing,  except  on 
evidence.  Who  formed  the  mind  ?  The  Df.ity.  If  the  exercise 
of  my  judgment,  therefore,  coincides  with  the  nuturul  constitution 
of  the  mind,  then  to  exercise  that  jud<;ntent  must  be  my  noble 
prerogative — muj<t  be  my  bounden  duty.  Gentlemen,  put 
together  these  observations,  and  you  cannot  avoid  coming  to  the 
plain  and  evident  conclusion,  that  there  is  no  infallible  tribunal. 
Are  we  not,  therefore,  thrown  back  upon  our  own  judgments  ? 
Weigh  the  considerations  in  subservience  to  which  the  judgment 
should  be  exercised — the  moral  accountability  of  man,  the  voice 
of  common  sense  and  reason — and  will  you  not  join  issue  with 
n.v.,  and  assert,  that  the  exercise  of  private  judgment  is  the  birth- 
right of  every  son  and  daughter  of  Adam  ? 

[Mr.  G'Cmxnell  being  obliged  to  retire  vpon  professional  huainess,  the  Chair 
was  take7i  in  his  stead  by  Mr.  Hugh  0^  Connor.] 

Mr.  Maguire. — Mr.  Pope  has  commenced  by  making  a 
very  long  complaint  t»iat  he  had  it  not  in  his  power  to  reply  to 
me  yesterday  evening.  It  was  decided  by  the  chair  that  he  had 
no  right  to  reply  ;  and  if  the  time  specified  in  the  regulatio:i8 
was  expired,  why  should  he  make  the  demand  f  By  what  magic 
could  he  transfer  that  right  to  himself,  when  chance  gave  me  the 
opportunity  of  speaking  last  1  With  regard  to  whatt  has  been 
advanced  by  Mr.  Pope  from  Fra  Paolo,  respecting  the  council 
of  Trent,  I  at  once  deny  the  authority  of  stich  a  man.  Mr. 
Pope  introduced  yesterday  much  irrelevant  matter,  which  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  question  of  the  infallibility  of  the  church 
of  Rome  ;  and  this  day  he  has  advanced  but  one  or  two  reasons 
for  the  faith  which  he  himself  professes.  He  a^,  that  I  have 
not  proved  my  church  to  be  the  church  of  Christ;  I  already 
said,  that  the  question,  then  before  us  was,  not  whether  the 
Catholic  church  was  the  church  of  Christ,  but  whether  Christ 
had  established  a  church  on  earth,  and  endowed  it  with  the  pre- 
rogative of  infallibility?  The  Protestant  churches,  divided  as 
they  are  upon  the  most  essential  points^  can  lay  no  claim  to 
infallibility.  But  one  church  claims  to  be  infalHble,  and  but  one 
church  possesses  any  pretensions  to  the  title.  No  other  church 
has  3ven  the  semblance  or  outward  appearance  of  infallibility. 
To  prove  that  Christ  established  an  infallible  church,  I  quoted 
variou?  texts  of  scripture.  Mr.  Pope  seemed  either  to  be  afraid 
or  ashamed  to  recur  to  scripture  on  the  subject  of  private 
judgment.  I  showed  yesterday  that  what  was  meant  by  the 
church  of  Christ,  was  all  the  churches  in  the  world  holding 
cominuniori  wiih  the  See  ui  Roiiio,  which  was  dccincd  the 
mother  and  matrice  of  all  Christian  churches,  as  St.  Cyprian 
calls  it.     All  the  shurches  in  that  communion  form  the  generic 


• 


^  THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 

no  doubt,  ^vill  feel  obliged  to  Mr  Pone  ft^r  th  1  ^'^'f '"' 

advanced  relative  to  the  snU      ThJo  S  a'goment  he  has 

could  accomplish  that  tlk      If  17/         "'■^  ^w  indeed  who 

convince  W.nself  of  the  infaSHbili.y  of  hh  churd?  hV  h,  °"'7  !° 
refer  to  the  scripture.     He  finds  .nlplfedta  the  sacred  vo"!! 
evident  promises,  which,  if  they  prove  not  infa  libilkv  „,.     ^ 
wthout  meaning  or  substance/  'christ  :L;'ro  htVostle 

^  "HMfSit';''h±retSKrhi„ri;r;r'  ^rs-  "• 

the  Publican."-]V]att.  xviii  18  '  ^'^  *''^®  *^  ^''^  Heathen  and 

^M     .hall     b.„i,h    y„„    .„     d.,,,     „,„     ,„     ,^^     ^„j     ^|.    ^^     „„,y„_jj^^^ 

c.!^^LferahiiSri';rL?r:!"i«i'-'-.'''o«- 

and  to  whom  her  childrVn  are  bou"nd  "to  XlH  S""^  '""  '?T"'' 

.0  know  .^  ™„  ,r...,.,w^L7:^^:i^:'r^:;,^„''s  ^ 


'^^Sfll^SS^^^Sfi^¥9^'^' 


OP    PRIVATE   JUDOMBNT. 


60 


texts  of  8crij/ture,  not  half  so  strongs  and  assuredly  not  half  so 
obvious. 

Mr.  Pope  says,  that  all  Roman  Catholics  must  examine  the 
various  councils  of  his  church,  before  he  can  prudently  make  an 
act  of  faith.     The  reverse,  however,  is  true.     Mr.  Pope  might 
just  as  well  assert,  that  the  lower  order  of  Protestants  should 
not  doubt  of  Catholic  faith,  unless  they  were  able  to  prove  from 
the  acts  of  council  that  the  Catholic  church  is  not  infallible  ;  and 
this,  I  imagine,  he  will  scarcely  admit.     The  faith  of  Roman 
Catholics  rest  upon  the  promises  of  Jesus  Christ  to  his  church, 
which  promises  they  conceive  are  sufficiently  explicit  to  satisfy 
the  most  sceptic  mind.     Tt  is  easier  for  a  Catholic  to  ascertain 
this  simple  truth,  \iz:— Did  Christ  promise  that  his  church  should 
not  fail  ?— than  for  a  Protestant  to  inquire  and  scrupulously 
examine  iato  every  doubt,  and  dijicully,  and  argtment.     The 
private  judgment  of  the  ignorant  Catholic  leads  him  to  yield  his 
assent  to  the  authority  of  that  church  which  has  formed  the  largest 
society  of  Christians  since  the  coming  of  the  Messiah.     And 
when  he  adds  to  the  authority  of  this  church,  the  corresponding 
authority  of  the  Greek  church, "^vhich  differs  from  his  own  in  no 
article  of  faith,  save  the  procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  feels 
his  motives  of  credibility  confirmed,,and  recognizes  a  safeguard 
for  his  own  conscious  ignorance.     On  the  contrary,  how  can 
illiterate   Protestants,  thousands  of  whom  cannot   even  read, 
ascertain  whether  the  New  Testament  be  an  ins|)ired  work  ? 
whether  such  a  text  were  spoken  by  Christ  himself,  or  by  an 
inspired  disciple?     Is  every  ignorant  peasant  able  to  know  that 
any  particular  book  of  scripture  is  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost? 
Can  the  lower  order  of  Protestants,  {and  it  xoas  for  (he  poor 
especially  f.hal  Christ  instituted  his  church) — can  the  ignorant  and 
illiterate  amongst  the  Protestants,  who  cannot  have  recourse  to 
the  authority  of  that  chu'-ch  to  which  Christ  gave  the  deposit  of 
faith— that  church  which,  in  what  is  called  the  dark  ages,  ivhen  a 
single  Protestant  ti'as  not  to  be  heard  of  preserved  the  copies  of  the 
Bible,  and  that  noble  translation  which  St.  Jerome  accomplished, 
fourteen  centuries  before  the  Reformation— 1  ask,  will  the  humble 
Protestant,  when  deprived  of  such  assistance,  be  able  to  prove  the 
word  of  God  ?     If  not,  and  it  is  plain  he  cannot,  then  '  vana  est 
praedicatio  vestra,  vana  fides  ejus' — '  vain  is  your  preaching,  and 
vain  his  faith.'     As  soon  as  the  Roman  Catholic  ascertains  the 
true  marks  of  Christ's  chinch,  and  finds  those  marks  to  belong 
exclusively  to  the  Catholic  church,  he  is  at  once  satisfied— he 
believes  it  is  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  he  rests  firm  in 
his  faith.     The  Catholic  church  has  remained  for  1800  years — 
It  has  defied  all  the  eflTorts  of  persecution — it  has  survived  the 
wreck  and  shocks  of  time,  a-d  will  dely,  till  the  end  of  the  world. 


70 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


I 


rjli**®  ^'fTi^'u  ''i''  ^^^  "'^^  ^"  opposition  to  it.     This  proves 
that  IS  upheld  by  the  finger  of  God  alone.  ^ 

unntl  T  ^f  '"''^'  ^^""^  Innocent  the  Third  forced  the  canons 
upon  tho  third  Lateran  council.  He  brought  them  ready  frmned 
to  the  council,  and  because,  offer  I  hey  were  debated,  they  Zt 
approved  of  by  the  council,  therefoj-e  he  is  to  be  considered  as 
having  forced  them  on  the  council.  Accordiiig  to  thi^  ru  e  nnv 
one  who  should  originate  or  introduce  a  measuVin  the  Hous^ 

law   TTV'^"*  "^  ?'^*  f  ^"^""-^^  ^«PP«"  t-^  be  passed  h.^o  a 
law,  should  be  considered  as  having  forced  it  on  the  house 

Uiough  the  measure  had  been  regulady  debated  and  approved 

lj.h  h   ?  K  ""^  ''^"  ^'  f '^  ^^"*  *^^  regulations  for  this  r^eetincT 
which  had  been  framed  by  Messrs.  Lawless  and  Sinr^er  mfd 

u;t\rb;%htr^"^"'^^p^--^  ^''^  -'^^^  ^-^-"^ 

Mr.  Pope's  assertion,  that  the  Pope  is  able  to  dispense  with 
the  decrees  of  councils,  is  an  unworthy  quibble.     C  quotes 
Dehihogue  to  prove  that  (l;e  Pope  has  the  power  of  dispel  W 
With  the  canons  of  councils,  but  these  are  canons  which  relati 
to  mere  disc.phne      The  council  of  Trent,  for  example,  decreed 
that  no  persons  should  marry  within  four  degrees  of  kindred  • 
yet  every  bishop  can  dispense  in  that  degree  If  consanSy 
Uave  ah-eady  explained  to  you,  that  the  decrees  of  council 
matters  of  discipline  are  not  unalterable  ;  but  they  are  immutable 
m  .patters  which  regard  the  deposit  of  faith.     It  vvou'd  :.e  footh 
and  ridiculous  to  contend  that  the  head  of  the  church  should  i^o^ 
have. tin  his  power  to  dispense  with  the  rules  and  regulations 
of  discipline  which  may  be  enacted  from  time  to  time,  and  prove 
expedient  or  otherwise  according  to  circumstances.     The  Pone 
g  able  to  dispense  with  the  ecclesiastical  law;  but  neither  the 
Pope  nor  a  general  council  can  change  an  article  of  faith.     I 
here  challenge  Mr.  Pope  to  show  mt  where  any  one  of  the 
eighteen  ecumenical  councils  differs  from  the  remainder  in  a 
single  particle  connected  with  faith ;  I  have  already  defied  him 
to  do  so,  and  he  has  not  been  able  to  discover  a  scintilla  of 
difierence   between   them   in   matters  of  faith.     He   has   had 
recourse  to  the  council  of  Basil ;    that  council  was,  at  first 
regularly  convened  by  the  Pope,  but  when  it  had  assembled  to 
determine  upon  doctrme,  the  emperor  introduced  into  it  a  phalanx 
of  Anan  bishops.     The  orthodox  bishops  refused  to  sit  wi"h 
tnem,  and  adjourned  to  another  place.     The  Arian  bishoos 
proceeded  to  hold  thdr  cabal,  and  issued  their  decrees    and 
lulmmated  censures  against  the  orthodox  bishops.     The  council 
was  ecumenical  in  the  commencement  o."  its  sittimr.  but  if  wn« 
iorcen  lo  adjourn  on  account  of  the  rabble  of  A riana  introduced 
by  the  emperor.  uu^,cu 


his  proves 

be  canons 
cly  framed 
they  were 
idered  as 


OP    PRIVATE    JUDGMENT. 


71 


nse  with 
5  quotes 
spensing 
^h  relate 
decreed 
iindred ; 
"guinity. 
incils  in 
mutable 
3  foolish 
juld  not 
ulations 
d  prove 
le  Pope 
ther  the 
lith.     I 
of  the 
ler  in  a 
ed  him 
tilla  of 
as   had 
It  first, 
bled  to 
ihalanx 
it  with 
)ishops 
s,  and 
:ouncil 
it  was 
iduced 


Mr.  Pope  asserts,  that  Dr.  Doyle  deems  the  notes  appended 
to  the  Bible  of  no  effect.     Mr.  Pope  is  under  a  palpable  mistake 
with  regard  to  the  commentaries  affixed  to  the  Bible.     No 
Catholic  is  called  upon  to  agree  with  those  notes,  only  as  far 
as  his  private  judgment  may  lead  him  to  do  so.     We  are  not 
inimical  to  the  exercise  of  private  judgment,  where  matters  of 
faith  are  not  concerned  or  endangered.     We  are  allowed  to 
exercise  our  private  judgment  in  other  matters.     Does  it  follow, 
because  we  acknowledge  an  infallible  authority  to  decide  upon 
matters  of  doctrine,  that  that  authority  should  bind  us  down  in 
other  matters,  and  decree,  for  example,  at  what  particular  time 
or  place  we  should  breakfast  or  dine  1     The  notes  appended  to 
the  Bible  are  merely  intended  to  explain  to  the  ignorant,  matterb 
relating  to  faith  and  morality,  which,  of  themselves,  they  are 
unable  to  explain.     They  are  intended  to  guide,  not  to  lead  the 
judgment,  and  to  assist  the  ignorant  and  unlettered.     There  are 
copious  notes  and  commentaries  to  the  Protestant  Bible.     If 
private  judgment  be  their  sole  rule  of  faith,  why  are  Protestants 
obliged  to  have  notes  and  comments  ?     If  they  be  found  usefuj 
to  the  Protestant,  why  should  they  not  be  equally  useful  to  the 
Catholic,  who  admits  an  infallible  authority  in  matters  of  faith, 
butwho  can  exercise  his  private  judgment  in  matters  unconnected 
with  faith?     Mr.  Pc;>e  has  again  told  you  that  we  have  no 
authorized  version  of  the  scriptures.     I  have  already  shown  you 
that  we  have  such  a  version.     I  defy  him  to  prove  the  ''Vulgate* 
corrupt.    He  has  not,  he  could  not  ;'yet  he  repeats  the  assertion. 
And  if  Mr.  Pope's  edition  of  the  Bible  be  deemed  a  regular  and  ' 
genuine  one,  I  contend  that  ours  is  ten  times  more  so.     I  insist, 
that  of  all  editions  of  the  Bible,  ours  is  the  best.     There  may 
be  found  some  verbal  inaccuracies — in  that  respect  I  do  not  say 
it  is  immaculate.     We  have  the  Latin  Vulgate,  tlie  genuine 
translation  of  the  Bible,  made  by  St.  Jerome,  1400  years  before 
Luther  or  Calvin  were  heard  of.     Mr.  Pope  inquires  how  we 
can  ascertain  when  a  general  council  is  regularly  convened.     It 
is  as  easy  to  ascertain  that  matter,  as  it  is  when  our  British 
Parliament  is   regularly  convened.      When   the  head  of  tho 
Catholic  church   regularly  convenes   a  sufficient  number  of 
bishops,  that  assemblage  morally  represents  the  church,  and  its 
decrees  are  admitted  by  Roman  Catholics  as  decrees  of  a 
general  council.     When  the  council  met  at  Jet usulem  to  decide 
upon  circumcision,  they  gave  us  an  examplar  of  a  council  ™'» it 
appeared  good  to  the  Holy  Ghost  and  to  us."     I  never  -s-serted, 
that  if  the  Pope  approves  of  the  decrees  of  a  councii,  ihey  are 


♦K C 


ii2:ui!iiL;ic. 


iS 


contrary  to  iJaiiioiic  doctrine. 
What  I  asserted  was,  that  if  the  decrees  of  a  council,  though 
not  a  general  one,  be  admitted  by  the  church  dispersed,  then 


72 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


they  ni-e  ,„f«  hble.      When  a  general  council  was  re.rular|v 
convened  by  ,hc3  Pope,  and  when  no  violence  was  atlmpfed    J 

h  onghout  the  world,  m  communion  with  the  See  of  Rome 
-uch  ,s  the  matnce  of  Christianity,  as  St.  Cyprian  cal  edil 
St.  Jerome,  wr.tmg  to  Pope  Damasus,  says- 

to  hP  ,.|,i»r     r  „     V'«  a'^VP's  o'  the  crosa— acknow  ec kn<T  none  but  Chii«,t 

know  wore  ^iven  fhe  kevs  of  ni  b  "^  ^''^  r'u"''^''  "'"^^  '^'"'^     ^o  thee  I 
not  with  thee  scattSetKc  ^  "°'^°™  "*^  ^''^'^'?-    ^^'^^^'^'^^  S>^'^'^^-^h 

Mr.  Pope  has  recurred  to  the  council  of  Constance,  which 
deposed  three  Popes.  Now,  the  facts  of  the  case  arr  th« 
strongest  proof  that  Christ  watches  over  his  chut' h!  One  Pope 
having  be^en  regularly  elected,  another  was  thrust  into  his  dace 
through  the  cabal  of  secular  power,  and  the  real  Pope  dfv^n 
into  bum^shment  where  he  died.  The  surviving  Pope  was  then 
approved  of,  lest  a  schism  should  be  created  in  '^he  church 
The  contest  continued  for  forty  years.     The  Pope  reSlv' 

l-ope.  Ihe  other  two  Popes  were  called  upon  to  resign  by  the 
councl  and  submitted  to  the  sentence  rather  than  dXct^he 
peace  of  the  church.  Could  there  be  a  clearer  proof  thai  Chfsl 
has  always  continued  to  watch  over  his  church. 

thaM'he^rh  r?  '"''  ".t^~^-  '"""^  ''^Sret  to  be  obliged  to  say, 
on  hi  nn  /f  ^^f"  ^'ther  misconception  or  misrepresentation 
on  the  part  of  n.y  learned  friend.  What  I  have  advanced  as  to 
he  uncertainty  of  Councils,  has  not  been  built  on  Fathe  Paul's 
H.Story  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  but  on  the  testimony  of  Dela! 
hogue,  m  h,s  «  Tractatus  de  Ecclesia,"  (which  is  the  manual 
of  the  college  of  Mjvynooth,)  and  upon'th^  authority  of  cTrdin 
Bellarmme.  Mr.  Maguire  says,  that  I  have  brought  fo  ward 
no  contradictions.  Is  this  the  case  ?  When  we  find'one  counJu 
deposing  three  Popes  as  anti-popes,  and  setting  up  ano  her  in 
the  r  place,  and  the  power  of  a  council  over  the  Pope,  pract^^ 

on  the!  T  !,  ''f  ''^"V^" '  "^•"'^"^  °^Trent  and  Florence, 
on  the  other  hand,  decree  that  ihe  Pope  is  above  a  council-is 
t.iere  not  council  against  cou.'v,il  ]  Affain—ali  who  aH^«^  i.^  ♦u. 
x-YC«ne  creed,  were  conu,  ,,a,ed  by' the  council  of"Ephesu7 
while  the  creed  of  Pope  Piu.,  which  contains  many  arCof 


or    PRIVATE    JUDGMENT. 


I  regularly 
empted  to 
look  upon 
according 
is  what  is 
I  churches 
of  Rome, 
called  it. 

fisherman's 
5  but  Christ 
is  with  the 
To  thee  I 
r  gathereth 

Je,  which 
are  the 
)ue  Pope 
his  place 
>e  driven 
vas  then 
church, 
egularly 
Jnd  true 
n  by  the 
ract  the 
it  Christ 


I  to  say, 
cntation 
3d  as  to 
r  Paul's 
f  Dela- 
manual 
cardinal 
forward 
council 
ther  in 
practi- 
^eneral 
trance, 
icil — is 
I  to  the 
hesus ; 
cles  of 


73 


faith,  not  to  be  found  m  the  Nicene  creed,  is  received  by  the 
ohurch  of  Rome.  Here  then  is  "the  church"  of  one  ace 
against  "  the  church"  of  another.  The  second  Nicene  council 
assigned  as  a  reason  for  the  worship  of  images,  that  Christ  is 
not  sensibly  present  on  earth,  but  only  in  his  divinity ;  and  the 
epistle  of  Germanus,  received  by  that  council,  asserts,  that 
Christ  IS  not  present  with  us  "  bodily."  It  also  anathematized 
all  who  declare,  that  Christ  was  not  circumscribed  as  to  his 
humanity.  Are  not  these  declarations  opposed  to  the  doctrine 
ot  transubstantiation ;  and  do  they  not  prove  that  "  the  church" 
of  one  age  has  contradicted  "  the  church"  of  another  ? 

My  opponent  has  said,  that  I  am  afraid  to  meet  him  on  the 
grounds  of  scripture.     I  should  rejoice,  if  we  confined  ourselves 
to  the  law  and   to  the  testimony.     In  appealing  to  Fathers, 
councils,  and  ecclesiastical  writers,  I  am  departing  from  my  own 
ground.     If  I  weigh  the  church  of  Rome  in  «  Divine  Balance," 
as  bt.  Augustin  calls  the  sacred  scriptures,  (De  Bapt.  cont. 
Uonat.  1.  II,  c.  6,)  the  scale  in  which  the  church  of  Rome  might 
happen  to  be  placed,  would  soon  be  raised  aloft.     With  respect 
to  Judas,  I  stated  that  he  was  one  to  whom  the  Lord  addressed 
the  words,  «  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth,"  in  evidence  that  he 
did  tiot  thereby  intend  to  describe  the  infallibility  of  the  Apostles. 
t  ar  be  it  from  me  to  deny,  that  the  Apostles  were  infallible.     As 
to  the  expression  "the  pillar  and  ground  of  truth,"  I  would  ask, 
when  Basil,  (m  his  70th  epistle)  speaking  of  the  persecution  of 
the  churches  m  Cappadocia  calls  them  "  pillars  and  ground  of 
truth,    did  he  mean  to  say  that  each  church  was  infallible  ?    As 
to  my  friend's  justification  of  the  conduct  of  Pope  Innocent  at 
the  Lateran  council,  he  should  remember,  that  although  ministers 
oflen  bring  bills  mto  Parliament,  yet  are  the  bills  discussed 
betore  they  are  passed  into  a  law ;  and  it  is  well  known,  that 
ministers  do  not  always  succeed  in  their  measures.     The  canons 
ot  the  Roman  Catholic  church  refer  to  matters  of  faith  as  well  as 
discipline.     In  the  Class-book  of  Maynooth,  and  in  Butler,  no 
exception  is  made  with  respect  to  the  dispensing  power  of  the 
I'ope  not  relating  to  canons  containing  articles  of  faith. 

One  circumstance  in  addition  to  those  which  I  have  already 
advanced,  shall  now  be  considered,  in  order  to  show  that  the 
church-of  Rome  is  not  infallible.  Where  the  spirit  of  truth  is, 
there  shall  we  find  the  fruits  of  righteousness.  Hermanus  Von 
JJer  Hardt  informs  us,  that  others  besides  divines  and  grave 
secular  men  attended  Constance  during  the  council— to  wit- 
barbers,  three  hundred  and  six,  players,  jesters,  three  hundred 
_-._  — j-.^,  K«="/-^""«^3.  lijrcc  nunareti  and  twenty-five,  and 
harlots,  seven  hundred ! !  ( Vid.  Herm.  Von  Der  Hardt  de  Rebus 
Universalis  Concilu  Constantinensis,  Tom.  v,  et  Gerardi  Dacheri 


/ 


74 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


if' 


1 
I 


Constantinensis  Historiam  Mngiiatuin  in  Constan.  Cone,  ex 
MSS.  Yindobonensi  Caesareo.)  The  character  of  the  council 
of  Trent  is  drawn  by  one  of  its  members*  Duditheus,  bishon 
of  five  churches,  who  writing  to  the  emperor  Maximillian  11, 
gives  this  account : 

■  "  We  daily  saw  hungry  and  needy  bishops  come  to  Trent ;  youths  for  the 
most  part  which  did  begin  to  have  beards,  (grave  and  sage  divines!)  given 
over  to  luxury  and  riot,  hired  onlt  to  give  their  voices  as  the  pop« 
FL  iASED.  "1  hey  were  unlearned  and  simple  yet  fit  for  their  purpose  in  reeard 
of  their  impudent  boldness. 

In  one  of  the  early  sessions  of  the  council,  when  there  were 
present  only  forty-eight  bishops ;  they  decreed  the  authority  of 
the  Vulgate,  of  tradition,  and  of  the  Apocrypha. — Father  Paul, 
who  was  never  excommunicated  that  I  am  aware  of,  says : 

"  "  Some  thought  it  strange  that  five  cardinals  and  forty-eight  bishops  should 
have  so  easily  defined  the  most  important  and  principal  points  of  religion, 
which  till  then,  had  never  been  decided  :  giving  canonical  authority  to  hooks 
considered  uncertain  and  apocryphal ;  rendering  authentic  a  translation, 
differins  from  the  original  text,  and  instructing  and  prescribing  the  manner 
of  understanding  the  word  of  God.  J^or  was  there  amongst  the  prelates  any 
one  worthy  of  attention  from  his  learning.  There  were  some  lawyers,  learned 
perhaps,  m  that  profession,  but  unskilled  in  religion— a  few  theologians,  but 
these  of  less  than  ordinary  talent,  the  greater  number  gentlemen,  or  cour/ters; 
and  as  to  their  dignities,  some  were  only  titulai^-the  greater  part,  bishops  of 
■0  small  a  place,  that  considering  each  to  represent  his  own  people,  it  could 
not  be  said  tint  one  thousandth  part  of  the  Christian  world  were  represented. 

Is  it  not  an  insult  to  common  sense  to  suppose,  that  you  could 
for  a  moment  regard  assemblies,  composed  of  such  characters, 
capable  of  deciding  infallibly  upon  articles  of  faith,  and  of 
enlightening  the  world  upon  the  great  truths  of  salvation?  No 
— never  can  I  entertain  such  an  extravagant,  such  a  monstrous 
absurdity.  The  light  of  the  nineteenth  century,  believe  me,  will 
pour  its  mighty  rays  upon  the  chu.  :;n  of  Rome,  and  expose  it  in 
all  its  naked  deformity  to  the  world. 

My  friend  has  told  us,  that  we  may  exercise  our  private  judg' 
ment  upon  the  noks  of  the  Bible,  provided  they  refer  not  to  matters 
cf  faith.  It  is  not  always  easy  to  distinguish  between  matters 
of  faith  and  other  articles.  But  what  shall  we  say  as  to  morals  ? 
At  a  full  meeting  of  the  Roman  Catholic  board,  held  in  Decem- 
ber, 1816,  the  notes  of  an  edition  of  the  Douay  Bible,  which 
had  just  appeared,  were  pronounced  by  a  gentleman  who  has 
just  lefl  the  chair,  as  containing  damnable  doctrines.  The  same 
individual  declared,  that  he  would  not  continue  within  the  pale 
of  the  church  of  Rome,  if  those  notes  were  not  publicly  disavowed. 
The  Roman  Catholic  hierarchy  have  not  however  protested 
against  them.  I  would  ask  in  this  place,  does  not  the  opinidn, 
that  notes  are  indispensably  necessary  for  the  right  understanding 
of  the  sacred  volume,  imply,  that  the  word  of  man  is  more  intel- 


or    PRIVATE   JUDGMENT. 


73 


hgible  tnan  the  word  of  Ihe  living  God  ?  Mr.  Maguire  observed 
that  Protestants  also  have  notes  appended  to  their  Bibles. 
Surely  a  Protestant  does  not  act  inconsistently  with  his  principles 
when  he  consults  a  commentator.  I  may  avail  myself  of  the 
li^ht  which  a  fellow-man  throws  upon  a  passage  of  scripture 
without  deeming  him  infallible.  My  friend  has  again  asserted! 
that  his  translation  is  the  genuine  version.  Is  his  version 
genuine,  when  it  contradicts  the  original?  I  submit  to  the 
learned  world,  to  decide,  whether  the  Douay  version  be  more 
correct  than  the  Protestant  Bible.  I  have  already  referred  to 
the  passage  relative  to  Jacob  worshipping  his  staff.  Is  "  pen- 
ance" a  correct  rendering  of  the  word  "//eruiom,"  which 
obviously  signifies  a  change  of  mind  ?  I  shall  be  told,  perhaps, 
that  the  Vulgate  renders  "  fjeiuroeXv"  "agere  penitentiam." 
But  who  IS  so  ignorant  of  Latin,  as  not  to  "know,  that  "  agere 
otium"  signifies  "  to  be  at  leisure ;"  "Agere  vitam,"  "  to  live  ?" 
and  so  I  would  translate  «  Agere  penitentiam,"  "  to  repent." 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  Delahogue  does  not  number 
among  the  eighteen  general  counciUs,  ihe  council  of  Jerusalem, 
as  the  Roman  Catholic  divines  designate  the  assembly  at  Jeru- 
salem. Let  my  friend  adduce  the  same  proofs  of  the  inspiration 
ot  councils,  as  those  which  the  Apostles  exhibited,  and  then  shall 
we  bow  down  to  their  authority.  I  am  asked  how  the  poor  man 
IS  to  decide  whether  the  Bible  be  the  word  of  God  ?  I  would 
premis^  that  ihe  right  to  do  a  thing  and  the  power  to  do  it,  are 
very  different.  I  may  have  a  right  to  go  to  the  East  Indies, 
and  yet  be  unable  to  undertake  so  long  a  voyage.  Therefore 
I  again  repeat,  that  the  right  to  do  a  thing,  and  the 

POWER    TO    DO    IT,  ARE    VERY  DIFFERENT.       I    am    askcd,  hoW 

the  poor  man  is  to  decide  whether  the  Bible  be  the  word  of 
God  ?     As  to  the  poor  Protestant  or  Roamn  Catholic,  when  I 
present  them  with  a  copy  of  the  Scriptures,  they  will  probably 
be  found  to  be  already  in  possession  of  some  general  notion  of 
Its  inspiration.     I  shall  take  a  still  more  extreme  case  :  I  shall 
consider  the  situation  of  a  person  in  a  distant  country,  who  has 
been  previously  altogether  ignorant  of  the  existence  of  the  word 
of  hie— illiterate,  but  capable  of  reading.     I  present  him  with 
the  sacred  scriptures,  and  remark,  that  a  perusal  of  their  con- 
tents will  convince  him  that  the  volume  has  proceeded  from 
God.      Ihe  man  feels  himself  to  be  a  sinner,  and  a  depraved 
creature ;   he  witnesses  daily  proofs  of  human  mortality,  but 
unacquainted    with   the   scenes  which   lie   beyond   the   grave, 
peoples  them  with  the  visions  of  his  own  distempered  imae-i- 
Jialion.      Ihe  inspired  records  meet  the  circumstances  in  which 
he  is  placed,  by  making  known  peace  and  pardon  through  a 
Saviour's  blood,  and  bv  throwing  a  flood  of  light  over  his  pre- 


^" 

'lU 

n 

' 

i 
i 
J 

t     • 

If     : 
i 

76 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


««nt  and  ovenasting  destinies.     Surely  if  we  can  discover  the 
existence  of  God  from  the  works  of  his  hands,  we  niny  doubt- 
less expert,  if  the  Bible  huvo  come  from  Iliin,  that  it  contains 
such  proofs  of  its  divine  origin,  that  the  sinner  shall  be  con- 
ti.iiaui     )  acknowledge  "  (;iod  has  spoken  of  a  truth,"  and  to 
Kay  (.    (lie  Bible,  as  the  woman  of  Samaria  said  '^f  iim  Redeemer, 
♦'Come,  see  a  man  that  told  me  all  that  ever  I  did  ;  is  not  this  the 
Christ  ?"     The  inspired  volume  penetrates  the  inmost  recesse* 
of  the  heart,  lays  open  the  secrets  of  the  souV  discovers  a  man 
to  himself,  and  carries  its  own  witness  that  it  has  emanated  from 
the  Fountain  of  Iii.jh;.     I  would  also  remark,  that  the  written 
word  is  not  the  only  means  which  God  has  provided  for  the 
instruction  of  man.     lie  has  also  af)poiuted  the  preaching  of 
his  Gospel.     The  individual  who  has  received  the  knowledge 
of  salvation  through  the  medium  of  oral  instruction,  finds  no 
difficulty  in  receiving  the  sacred  oracles  as  an  inspired  volume. 
He  approaches  ihem  with  a  spiritual  appetite,  and  experiences 
the  word  of  truth  to  be  the  life  and  conifurt  of  his  soul.     "  As 
well,"  will  he  oxclaim,  "  as  well  might  you  endeavour  to  per- 
suade me,  that  there  is  no  light  nor  warnith  in  the  sun,  as  to  tell 
me,  that  no  spiritual  consolation  flows  from  the  doctrines  con- 
tained in  this  blessed  voluiye." 

This  is  an  extreme  case — I  have  mot  it ;  but  permit  me  to 
say,  that  there  are  innunjerablo  proofs  of  the  authenticity, 
integrity,  and  canonicity  of  the  inspired  volume — and  I  am 
ready,  when  called  upon  to  state  them.  I  now  ask  Mr.  Ma- 
guire,  by  what  mode  he  would  prove  to  an  individual  in  circum- 
stances similar  to  those  which  we  have  been  considering,  that 
the  Bible  is  a  divine  revelation  ?  Mark  this  question  Mr.  Ma- 
guire,  and  let  me  have  an  answer. 

Is  it,  let  me  ask,  the  case,  that  infidels  and  atheists  are  chiefly 
found  among  the  Protestant  poor?  Need  I  rej  ly  in  the  negative? 
Who  have  been  the  authors  of  heresies  1  Dupin  mforins  us 

"If  there  be  obscure  and  difficult  parts  in  the  Bible,  it  is  not  generally  the 
Dimple  who  abuse  thein,  but  the  proud  and  learned  who  make  a  bad  us(  f 
them.  For  in  fine  it  is  not  the  ignorant  and  the  simph  'ho  have  formed 
heresies  in  perverting  the  word  of  God.— They  tvlio  do  o,  are  generally  bishops, 
priests,  learned  and  enlightened  persons.  So  that  so  far  from  knowing  by 
experience,  that  the  reading  of  tlie  scriptures  is  dangerous  to  the  simple  and 
the  ignorant,  one  mav  say,  that  we  learn  therefrom  that  it  seldom  causes  any 
but  the  learned  to  fall  into  error,  and  that  the  simple  have  g.  rally  found  there 
nothing  but  what  is  edifying  and  instructive."— Dissett.  prci-n.  sur  la  Bible. 
B.  i,  c.  9.  Par.  1701.  '^  ^ 

Cardinal  Beliarmine  writes  as  folk  ,  s  :  ' 


«  u : 


o-^'^^s  vvihi  men  u:  inc  upper  rank  rather  than  with  persona 
belonging  to  the  inferior  classes.  Beyond  a  doubt  lUmost  all  authors  ofheresiet 
have  been  either  bishops  or  presbyters  (or  as  some  would  perhaps  translate  it, 
priesU.)     Heresies  are  therefore  to  be  considere  I  as  the  factions  of  leadins 


OP    PRIVATE   JUDGMENT. 


77 


men,  without  whom  tliore  would  bo  no  poptUar  rovolu  in  the  church  "— 1)« 
trS  tom^i    ,''527^'  ""''"''  "'''*'''  "''    '"°  ^"^'""®  Il«on;.,ita.  Colonic 

The  people,  I  mniatain,  aiir  the  safest  depositaries  or 
God's  blessed  Word.  Ecclesiustics  may  bo  trmpted  to  per- 
vert It ;  tho  poor  are  not  likely  to  siifTfir  such  a  temptation.  If, 
therefore,  the  hability  of  the  sacred  scriptures  to  perversion, 
lurnishajust  reason  for  withdrawing  tho  inspir.  ,'  volume  from 
any  portion  ot  the  community,  it  should  be  taken  Iroin  ecclosi- 
asiics  who  have  abused  it,  and  put  into  the  hands  of  the  i,oor 
and  the  unlettered.  ' 

The  church  of  Rome,  v  liere  she  is  dominant,  may  succeed 
by  the  strong  hand  of  ecclesiastical  despotistii  in  repressing  the 
outward  expression  of  opinion.  Have  you  never  heard  of  Jews 
abroad,  in  order  to  avoid  persecution,  entering  the  priesthood, 
and  while  celebrating  mass,  cursing  tho  power  which  obli.res 
them  to  act  in  opposition  to  their  conscience  ?  The  Rev.  Joseph 
1  mnco  White,  who  was  chaplain  to  tho  king  of  Spain,  now  a 
clergyman  of  tho  church  of  England,  and  who  lived  in  the  com- 
mumon  ol  tho  church  of  Rome,  twenty-five  years  in  sincere 
submission,  and  ten  in  secret  rebellion  against  her  authority,  in 
his  "  Evidence  against  Catholicism,"  2d  edit.  p.  7,  writes  thus— 

is  Im^ inifl"  Ti  ^'T  ^^y  ?>•«»?'»"? of  this  sermon-the  confession 
f  E.  ii^  '•^'S''"%^*'  '■"S'°"  if8»i'-/'«'a,  bordering  upon  athcisvu 
!c  S„?n  f^lT"■^' r '"-"J"'  '^  ""y.^^oxvlediie  of  the  .nost  enliShtincd  classes 
.nrXnfnifh  "^  f"rnish  me  With  a  multitude  of  sudden  transitions  from 
.incere  fa  th  and  pjcty  to  the  most  otitraaeous  infidelity  :  I  would  submit  to 
the  '.ambling  conviction,  that  either  wcuTiness  of  jmlgment,  or  fick  incss  of 
character  had  been  the  only  source  of  my  errors.  But  though  I  am  nS  at 
iriM°  TT\°",  '"'^'";'^"''^'  '""'''^  I  '^«  ^"^-^^^  fr"-"  the  rnosi  citain  know! 
„7i!'.,  ?  I  5"'"^^^'"^  """*  '"""^  "'  '""'^  "'"'^  variation,  that  of  a  frreat 
cC<  .-CvJJvITS^''"'''^^-  V^'t'  "  "^'«'*'  I  make  no  indivfduu 
the  nVaik  w  r  h  no        '°T  '^''^^"  'his  general  description  may  still  wear 

The  church  of  Rome  may  look  in  some  measure  fair  and 
un.ied  ;  but  within,  the  system  is  full  of  d(  d  men's  bones  and 
ail  uncieanness. 

I  now  call  upon  Mr.  Maguire  to  inform  us,  by  what  mode  the 
poo.  man  can  know  according  to  his  views,  that  the  Bible  is  the 
book  ot  (jrod. 

Mr.  Maguire.— I  wish  Uu  Pope  would  afford  me  something 
tangible    o  comment  upon      I  fling  bacK  his  Protestant  and 
Hugue  ot     uthorities.     I  was  ->ot  a  little  astonished  to  hear 
-.  _    .  .  .next  apusi«n;,     janco    Ttiule,  as  an  authority 

against  the  (Jatholic  church.     I  assert  that  the  man  who  lived 
tor  ten  yearns  according  to  his  own  testimony,  an  atheist  at 

7* 


•^  THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 

heart,  is  ncFTWorthy  of  credence,  when  tealifyin^  against  the 
Roman  Catholic  church.     Mr.   Pope  has  again  quoted  from 
Dr.  Dehihoguo ;  but  when  he  proves  that  Dr.  Delahogue  has 
written  any  thing  contrary  to  CathoUc  faith,  he  ^vill  certainly 
have  achieved  much.     Mr.  Pope  naa  endeavoured  to  make  a 
point  about  the  word  fittavoia.     It  is  the  Greek  word  for  doing 
penance,  and  it  is  used  in  the  passage  quoted  from  the  sacred 
volume,  in  reference  to  the  men  of  Nineveh,  of  whom  Christ 
says  "the  men  of  Nineveh  shall  rise  in  judgment  with  this 
generation,  and  shall  condemn  it ;  because  they  did  penance  at 
the  preaching  of  Jonas :"    the   Protestant   translation  has   if, 
"  because  they  repented."     Our  Saviour  in  that  passage  alluded 
to  the  repentance  of  the  men  of  Nineveh— what  was  that  repent- 
ance ?     They  did  penance  in  sackcloth  and  ashes  ;  they  fasted 
for  three  days ;  and  they  did  not  even  suffer  their  cattle  to  eat 
any  thing  during  that  period  .  and  we  find  it  recorded  in  the 
sacred  volume,  that  their  repentance,  or  penance,  disarmed  the 
wrath  of  God.     Fasting  and  praying  are  thrown  overboard  now- 
a-days,  when  we  have  the  liberty  of  the  gospel.     Pampering  the 
body  is  now  the  plan,  and  good  works  are  scouted  as  being 
things  of  supererogation.     It  is  only  in  the  Catholic  church  we 
find  fasting  and  praying  practised. 

Mr.  Pope  says,  that  a  number  of  harlots  came  to  the  council 
of  Trent,  and  he  quotes  Fra  Paolo,  an  historian  than  whose 
authority  he  could  not  produce  worse.  I  could  relate  disgrace- 
ful facts  of  another  church,  matters  which  rest  not  upon  the  ipse 
dixit  of  a  partial  historian,  but  which  are  well  known  to  have 
occured.  I  shall  not,  however,  insult  this  meeting,  nor  pullute 
my  lips  with  the  recital  of  such  filthy  impurities.  It  was,  to  say 
the  least  of  it,  a  breach  of  good  manners  on  the  part  of  Mr. 
Pope  towards  the  ladies  who  are  present,  to  introduce  the 
scandalous  fabrication  of  that  faithless  historian.  I  will  not 
disgrace  my  situation  here  and  in  the  church,  by  descending  to 
such  arguments.  I  could,  if  I  pleased,  quote  much  to  you 
about  Henry  the  Eighth,  and  the  Virgin  Elizabeth.  I  could 
tell  you  matters  of  fact  with  regard  to  those  patrons  of  the 
retormation— and,  indeed,!  might,  by  the  relation  of  a  few  facts, 
take  ample  revenge  upon  my  antagonist. 

Mr.  Pope  talks  of  there  having  been  hungry  bishops  at  the 
council  of  Trent : — that  is  a  charge  that  cannot  be  made  against 
the  Protestant  bishops  of  the  present  day,  who  have  got  the 
tithes  and  the  green  acres.  I  would  warn  the  Protestant 
bishops  and  clergy,  who  are  in  possession  of  the  good  things, 
how  they  allow  the  principle  which  Mr-.  Pone  advocates  to 
spread  throughout  the  land*  If  every  man  is  to  be  allowed  to 
think  for  himself  on  matters  of  faith,  it  will  then  come  to  be 


in 


or    PRIVATK    JVDQMCrfT.  79 

Mked,  why  do  we  pay  jeSOO.OOO  a  year  Tor  the  mainteimncw  of 
an  u.idcss  clerf^y  ?  »♦  Let  us  fling  away  the  tithes,"  it  will  be 
said — these  men  have,  on  their  own  showing,  no  right  to  dictate 
to  us  on  niatlers  of  religion — and  as  we  do  not  want  them,  why 
should  we  be  «o  enormously  taxed  for  their  support."  Such 
will  be  the  consequences,  if  the  Protestant  clergy,  instead  of 
opposing,  actually  countenance  and  support  the  principles 
advocated  by  Mr.  Pope.  What  &ays  a  Protestant  Clergyman, 
the  llev.  Mr.  O'Callaghan,  upon  this  subject  ? 

"  When  Mr.  Pope  and  Dr.  Singer,  men  indeed  of  high  character,  and  by 
far  the  ablest  advocates  of  the  Bible  Society,  at  least  in  Ireland— when  men 
of  thifl  description,  dangerout  in  proportion  to  their  great  intellectual  and 
literary  caiibrt-,  are  !.;d  away  by  the  prevailing  delusion,  and  not  aslmnied  to 
tell  the  world  that  •  the  right  of  an  ignorant  labourer  to  read  the  Bible,  involves 
his  right  of  interpreting  it'— why  is  the  church  silent?  Why  dova  she  not 
address  them  in  her  proper  organ,  if  such  still  exist,  to  the  following  effect:— 
•  Reverend  brethren,  your  argument  is  fallacious,  and  it  is  our  bounden  duty 
to  tell  von  so.  Most  true  it  is  that  a  poor  labourer  has  a  right  to  read  the 
Bible  Tor  the  health  of  his  soul,  and  to  bath«  in  the  sea  for  the  health  of  his 
body.  His  right  to  bathe  is  as  clear  as  his  right  to  read — his  right  to  go  into 
the  water  also  implies  his  right  to  swim ;  but  if  he  swim  very  imperfectly,  or 
not  at  all,  we  hope  you  will  allow  that  his  efforts  to  swim  would  be  danger- 
ous, nay,  fatal,  and  that  he  should  not  proceed  more  than  chin-deep. 

"  You  friends  of  Christianitv  beware  of  Bible  Societies  every  where — you 
friends  of  peace  and  good-will  among  men  beware  of  Bible  Societies,  and 
other  proselytizing  associations,  especially  in  Ireland?  Remember  their 
great  principle  that  has  nearly  extinguished  Christianity  in  what  is  called 
Protestant  Germany — be  wise  in  time,  farewell ! !" 

Mr.  O'Callaghan,  a  gentleman  of  talents  and  extensive  inform- 
ation says,  (hat  the  right  of  private  judgment  is  not  recognised 
in  the  church  of  England.  Here  we  have  a  Protestant  ecclesi- 
astic arrayed  against  the  doctrine  which  is  preached  up  by  Mr. 
Pope,  who  is  a  Protestant,  but  not  an  ecclesiastic,  Mr.  Pope 
has  spoken  of  infidelity  being  a  consequence  of  Popery.  1 
hold  in  my  hand  a  sermon  preached  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Rose  in  the 
college  of  Cambridge,  and  dedicated  to  the  bishop  of  Chester ;  in 
this  sermon  he  thus  describes  the  state  of  Protestant  Germany : 

"From  the  state  of  Protestantism  in  Germany,  a  stronger,  and  perhaps 
more  important  lesson  is  offered  on  that  subject,  which  is  said  to  form  the 
base  and  the  boast  of  Protestantism — the  right  of  private  judgment.  The 
terrible  evils  resulting  in  the  German  church  from  its  exercise,  are  the 
strongest  practical  proof  of  the  wisdom  and  necessity  of  restraining  it. 
Amon|  the  German  divines  it  is  a  favourite  doctrine  that  it  is  impossible  tliere 
could  have  been  a  miracle,  and  the  words  of  scripture  are  examined  and 
forced  ii.to  any  meaning  but  their  own.  By  some  the  miracles  are  suid  to 
be,  that  mythology  which  must  attend  every  religion  to  gain  the  attention  of 
the  multitude;  by  some  the  common  and  well  known  ribaldry  of  the  infidel 
IS  unsparingly  used ;  by  one  or  more,  high  in  station  in  the  church,  some 
artifice,  and  probably  magnetism  has  been,  even  within  the  last  ten  years, 


^B  suggestea:  oliiers 


. J^>  ««>  iiir  as  to  attack  the  whole  body  of  the  prophets  as 

oipostors,  in  most  outrageous  and  revolting  terms.    This  doctrine  is  taught 
by  divinee  from  the  pulpit— by  professors  from  the  chairs  of  theology— it°i« 


80 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


addressed  to  the  old  to  free  them  from  ancient  prejudices,  and  to  the  yonng 
as  the  knowledge  which  can  make  them  truly  wise.  This  abdication  of 
Chnstianity  is  not  confined  either  to  the  Luthcjan  or  Calvinist  profession 
but  extends  its  baneful  and  withering  influence  with  baneful  force  over  each' 
It  IS  curious  to  observe  in  what  way  they  get  rid  of  all  miracles.  Professor 
A'aulus,  in  his  Critical  Commentary  assures  us,  that  the  man  with  the  with- 
ered hand  had  only  a  luxation  of  the  shoulder,  which  Jesus  perceivine.  pulled 
It  mto  joint."  *^  s,  i^u.icu 

Professor  Schultness  explains  this  miracle  as  follows  : 

"  The  man  had  a  severe  rheumatism ;  Christ  observing  that  his  blood  was 

much  moved,  by  the  indignation  with  which  he  heard  the  question  of  the 

Pharisees,  said  to  him  m  that  favorable  moment,  "Stretch  out  thine  hand-' 

the  man  attempted  to  do  it,  and  was  healed  because  that  extraordinary 

excitement  had  removed  the  impediment  under  which  he  laboured.    When 

Christ  restored  sight  to  the  blind  man,  the  poor  fellow  had  such  weakness  in 

his  eye-hds,  that  he  could  not  keep  his  eyes  open.     Christ  observin<^  that  ho 

never  made  the  attempt  to  open  them,  said  to  him,  '  Thou  shalt  op'en  thine 

eves;'  the  confidence  of  the  man  was  so  great,  that  making  the  attempt  with 

all  his  might,  he  opened  his  eyes.    Christ  never  walked  in  the  waves,  but  on 

the  shore,  or  he  gwam  behind  the  ship,  or  he  walked  through  the  shallows. 

Ibe  daughter  of  Jairus  was  not  dead,  because  Christ  himself  said  'She 

Bleepeth.'    When  Jesus  said  to  Peter,  'Thou  shalt  catch  a  fish,  and  find  in 

his  mouth  a  piece  of  money,'  the  meaning  is,  before  you  can  sell  it  for  so 

much,  you  must  open  its  mouth  and  take  out  the  hook.    At  Cana  in  Galli- 

lee,  Jesus  gave  a  nuptial  present  of  veiy  fine  wine,  with  which,  for  a  joke,  he 

failed  the  water-pots  of  stone.    The  paralytic  was  an  idle  fellow,  who  for 

thirty  years  had  moved  neither  hand  nor  foot.    Christ  asked  him  ironically 

Perhaps  thou  wouldst  be  whole?'  This  irony  stirred  him  up  ;— he  forgot  his 

hypocrisy."  '^  ° 

But  let  us  for  a  moment  look  at  home ;  see  the  numerous 
sects  spread  throughout  the  land— the  Seekers,  the  Jumpers, 
the  Methodists,  the  Southcotonians,  &c,  &c  ;  all  differing  more 
from  each  other,  than  does  ihe  Catholic  from  the  Protestant 
church.  They  afford  a  rare  specimen  of  that  chaos  of  reform, 
that  Babel  of  interpretation,  which  is  generated  by  the  exercise 
of  private  judgment. 

A  question  has  been  put  to  me,  as  to  the  means  by  which  I 
would  attempt  to  convert  the  pagan ;  I  will  tell  you  in  plain 
terms  the  course  I  would  adopt.  I  would  present  him  wilh  the 
Bible  ;  he  would  ask  what  book  that  Avas  ?  I  would  tell  him 
that  it  was  inspired  by  God,  and  left  by  him  to  man  as  a  help 
towards  the  salvation  of  his  soul,  and  to  instruct  him  in  doctrine 
and  morality.  He  would  then  inquire  by  what  means  I  knew 
that  this  was  the  book  of  God.  I  would,  in  reply,  address  him 
as  a  rational  man  ;  I  would  tell  him  that  the  author  of  that  book 
had  descended  from  heaven— had  taken  upon  him  the  figure  of 
mortal  man— that  he  declared  himself  the  Messiah  of  God,  and 
the  Redeemer  come  to  save  the  world,  and  that  he  proved  his 
uivme  mission  by  the  ipost  astonishing  miruclec*  that  ever  yet 
were  wrought.  He  would  then  ask,  how  did  I  know  those  facts 
occurred,  and  that  such  miracles  were  performed.     I  would 


OP    PRIVATE    JUDGMENT. 


81 


appeal  to  the  positive  evidence  of  contemporary  writers,  whoai 
for  the  moment  I  should  not  consider  inspired.     I  would  appeal 
to  the  scripture  as  an  historical  record.     I  would  show  that  if 
po£.,essed  historical  truth— that  the  Jews  never  controverted  ita 
accuracy.     I  would,  in  fine,  appeal  to  the  common  consent  of 
mariKuid,  to  the  inhabitants  of  distant  and  dilferent  nations, 
subject  to  different  passions,  manners,  and  habits,  speaking  quite 
different  languages,  and  having  no  communication,  verbal  or 
wriiten.     I  would  ask  him,  was  he  ready  to  believe,  that  all 
those  mdividuals,  historians,  and  nations,  had  conspired  to  attest 
a  deliberate  falsehood,  to  impose  upon  the  whole  world,  and  of 
course  upon  their  children,  and   children's   children,   a   book 
purportmg  to  be  the  work  of  God,  but  in  reality  a  book  of  lies, 
falsehood,  and  false  miracles  ?     As  soon  as  I  convinced  him 
that  Christ  wrought  the  miracles,  attributed  to  him  in  that  book, 
(and  how  could  he  doubt  these  miracles,  when  they  were  admitted 
botn  by  Jews  and  Gentiles  ?)     I  would  point  out  to  him  the 
many  clear,  manifest,  and  obvious  texts  in  scripture,  by  which  a 
church  was  proved  to  be  founded  and  established  by  Christ,  and 
endowed  with  authorihj  to  teach,  and  the  most  soleum  ass«n?nces 
that  It  would  never  teack  error.     I  would  prove  from  clear  and 
obv^aus  texts  of  scripture,  and  more  clear  and  obvious  texts 
could  not  be  quoted  in  support  of  any  doctrine  of  the  Christian 
reh..;.on,  that  the  church  of  Christ  could  never  teach  error  to 
man.rind.     He  would  then  have  only  to  examine  these  texts  as 
to  th^  alleged  authority  of  the  church,  and,  this  one  truth  admitted, 
all  his  doubts  and  difficulties  upon  these  points  would  instantly 
disappear.     The  quibbles  and  objections  raised  by  the  deists 
against  the  sacred  volume  would  vanish  in  a  trice  ;  and  con- 
scious of  his  own  incapacity,  and  having  no  alternative  but  to 
eul>,ait  to  authority,  or  by  renouncing   authority   io  reject  all 
mysteries,  he  would  follow  the  church,  as  a  safe  and  certain  fruide. 
Hut  how  would  Mr.  Pope  convert  the  pagan.     Mr.  Pope  would 
tel;  uiru  that  the  Bible  is  the  book  of  God.     The  pagan  will 
nati'ially  ask  him,  how  does  he  know  if  to  be  such  .'   'Mr.  Pope, 
in  reply,  would  appeal  to  a  ceitain  illumination  of  the  spirit— a 
rath'-.r  uncertain  standard,  it  must  be  allowed,  for  a  poor  ignorant 
uncetsverted  pagan.     It  is  an  argument,  to  say  the  least  of  it. 
ad  absurdum. 

Mr.  Pope  must  then  have  recourse  to  authorities.     This  is  all 

'r"  I  ''®''^'^®  ^^^  ^''^'^^  ^^  the  work  of  God,  upon 
authotity,  then  he  establishes  the  necessity  of  authority  in  the 
Ctiriotian  world.  If  then,  he  savs  thsif  he  fnrjno.t  .?/A.:=.,-.g 
provt,  the  inspiration  of  the  sacred  scriptures  :  then  i  ask  him, 
how  can  an  act  of  supernatural  faith  be  founded  upon  human 
fallih.e  authority.     The  infidel,  on  the  contrary,  when  converted 


I 


82 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


by  a  Catholic,  receives  in  baptism  a  divine  habitual  grace* 
whereby  he  is  enabled  to  behove  in  the  authority  of  the  church, 
from  thte  passages  which  I  have  already  cited,  and  which  prove 
the  existence  of  a  church,  and  its  infallibility.     I  defy  Mr.  Pope 
to  produce  passages  half  so  clear  in  support  of  any  single 
doctrine  of  Christianity.     Did  he  produce  any  passage  so  clear 
in  support  of  his  rule  of  faith  ?     St.  Paul  tells  us  to  avoid  a 
heretic,  as  "being  condenmed  by  his  private  judgment."  Proprio 
^iudicio  condenmatus,  is  the  language  of  the  Latin  Vulgate  ;  and 
ii  is  admitted  by  many  learned  Protestants,  to  be  the  best  trans- 
lation of  the  scriptures  extant.     Even  St.  John  tells  us  not  to 
salute  a  heretic,  •♦  nee  ave  ei  dixeritis."    Will  Mr.  Pope  convince 
any  one  of  the  inspiration  of  the  scriptures,  but  on  human 
authority  alone.     Now,  "  faith  comes  from  hearing,  and  hearing 
from  the  words   of  Christ."      Mr.  Pope's  failh  is  therefore 
grounded  on  human  authority,  and  not  on  divine  inspiration. 
The  Sociniun  comes  to  Mr.  Pope,  (and  here  I  would  solicit 
your  particular  attention  to  this  point,)  and  says,  I  agree  with 
you  in  your  principle  of  private  judgment — I  agree  with  you  that 
the  scriptures  are  the  inspired  word  of  God  ;  but  you,  Mr.  Pope, 
have  corrupted  the  sense  of  the  scriptures.     You  put  upon  them 
an  interpretation  which  they  will  not,  cannot  bear.     You  admit 
articles  of  faith  which  are  opposed  to  the  scriptures,  and  contrary 
to  common  sense.     You  hold  in  common  with  me  that  there  is 
no  way  of  judging  or  interpreting  the  sacred  scriptures,  except, 
according  to  private  judgment,  or,  in  other  words,  common 
sense.      Again,  you  say,  that  a  woman  conceived   an  infant 
through  a  supernatural  agency.     Here  also  is  a  romantic  inter- 
pretation, quite  impervious  to  reason  and  to  common  sense. 
You  should,  (concludes  the  Socinian,)  you  should  understand 
all  those  texts  in  a  figurative  sense.     Mr.  Pope  will  then  recur 
to  various  pi;c5isages  of  scripture  to  prove  the  divinity  of  Christ ; 
')ut  when  he  urges  his  interpretation  against  that  of  the  consislent 
Socinian,  the  lauei  will  contend  for  his  equal  right  to  interpret 
them  ;  and  he  will  juotly  inquire,  is  no  man  but  Mr.  Pope  to  be 
allowed  to  exercise  the  right  of  private  judgment  1     1  have  as 
good  a  right  to  believe  in  the  existence  of  an  mfallible  church, 
and  the  Socinian  as  good  a  right  to  maintain  his  own  interpreta- 
tion, and  reject  all  mysteries,  as  Mr.  Pope  has  to  believe  in  his 
principles.     When  Mr.  Pope  endeavours  to  urge  his  interpreta- 
tion on  the  Socinian  he  abandons  his  own  principles.     Mr.  Pope 
has  no  right  to  blame  any  man  for  having  exercised  his  private 
judgment.     Or  is  that  a  privilege  to  be  exercised  exclusirely  by 


T   .._ 


Tv,r_ 


T> — 


predicament  if  he  can.     If  he  can  clear  up  that  difficulty,  he 
will  indeed  be  a  *  Magnus  Apollo.'     Let  him  quit  quibbling 


OP    PRIVATE    JUDGMENT. 


89 


about  councils  and  come  directly  to  the  word  of  God—"  No 
prophecy  of  scripture  is  mnde  by  private  interpretHtion." 
2  Peter,  i,  20.  I  challenge  Mr.  Pope  to  show  how  a  Protestant 
can  make  an  act  of  faith.  But  the  Cailiolic  who  believes  in 
the  church  established  by  Christ,  founds  his  faith  upon  the 
authority  of  that  church.  All  difficulties  vanish  before  him,— 
the  atheist  or  the  deist  may  start  several  objections  which  he 
cannot  answer,  but  "  the  church  is  the  solution  of  all  difficulties." 
Mr.  Pope  inquires  how  I  can  get  out  of  the  vteious  circle,  in 
which  he  says  I  am  involved,  by  proving  the  existence  of  the 
church  upon  the  authority  of  the  scriptures,  and  proving  the 
authority  of  the  scriptures  upon  that  of  the  church. 

Mark  my  answer.— l  prove  the  authority  of  the  church  by 
passages  of  scripture,  not  denied  by  Mr.  Pope,— by  passages  of 
scripture    which   are   held   in   common  by  all   Christians.     I 
presume  Mr.  Pope  believes  in  the  four  gospels  :  now  I  appeal 
to  the  four  gospels,  and  to  the  first  epistle  of  St.  Paul  to  Timothy, 
to  prove  that  Jesus  Christ  endowed  his  church  with  the  glorious 
privilege  of  infallibility.     Mr.  Pope  admits  the  four  gospels,  and 
St.  Paul's  epistle  to  be  genuine.     Having  proved  tiierefore  the 
authority  of  the  church  from  those  books  of  scripture  acknowledged 
by  Mr.  Pope ;  I  then  prove  upon  the  authority  of  that  church 
already  established,  the  inspiration  of  the  other  books  which  are 
not  acknowledged  by  Mr.  Pope.     Where  now,  gentleman,  is  the 
vicious  circle  ?    I  have  another  method  of  breaking  this  fnagical 
ring— of  opening  this  vicious  circle— I  will  reveal  it,  in  the  hope 
that  the  «  c«-c/e"  will  never  be  proposed  Bi  an  argument  against 
the  Catholic  church  again.     I  take  the  book  of  the  Nev  testa- 
ment  in  my  hand,  and  for  a  moment,  not  considering  it  to  be 
inspired,  I  produce  it  as  a  genuine  and  faithful  historical  relation 
of  the  occurrences  of  the  times  in  which  Jesus  Christ  lived.     I 
letirn  from  this  book  that  a  man  appeared  then  upon  earth,  who 
called  himself  the  Son  of  God  :    I  find  it  there  recorded  that  he 
pe»-Jormed  innumerable  miracles  in  the  open  day,  and  in  presence 
of  his  most  inveterate  enemies— that  he  raised   a  man  called 
Lazarus  to  life,  whose  body  was  nearly  rotten  in  the  grave,  and 
that  he  performed  many  other  and  extraordinary  miracle'^,  "  If  I 
hac'  not  (says  our  Lord,)  done  among  them  the  works  that  no 
other  man  hath  done,  they  would  not  have  sin  in  them."— (John 
XV  24.)    I  find  from  ihis  historical  relation  that  Christ  established 
a  church  upon  earth,  to  which  he  made  ainple  and  extraordinary 
promises— that  he  would  remain  with  his  church  all  days,  even 
unto  the  consummation  of  the  world— that  he  would  send  iHa 
raraclete  to  guide  it  in  the  way— that  he  would  build  it  upon  a 
rock— that  -t  would  be  the  pillar  and  the  ground  of  truth,  and 
that  the  gates  of  hell  shall  never  prevail  against  it.     I  take 


84 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


thi8  as  a  mere  history,  and  if  we  are  to  adnri^istory,  I  find  it 
there  recorded,  that  Christ  proved  his  mission  by  numerous 
miracles.  I  thus  prove  the  authority  of  the  church  upon  the 
authority  of  ChrisVa  miracles  attested  by  the  strongest  historical 
evidence— to  wit,  the  historical  evidence  of  the  scriptures,  and 
1  then  prove  that  the  scriptures  are  inspired  upon  the  authority 
of  the  church.  There  is  the  solution  of  what  Mr.  Pope  calls  a 
VICIOUS  circle.  But  I  feel  confident,  that  Mr.  Pope  will  find  it 
rather  a  hard  irfktter  to  extricate  himself  from  the  circle  in  which 
1  have  him  enclosed. 

Di^*^'  ^w^""^""*  ^'^g"'''«  has  not  spoken  of  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Blanco  White   in  the   most  complimentary  terms.     I  beg   to 
assure  Mr.  Maguire,  that  those  who  are  personally  acquainted 
with  Mr.  Wnite,  describe  him  as  a  worthy  and  excellent  man. 
I  could  name  a  gentleman  who  is  not  very  far  distant  from  this 
platform,  a  reformed  priest,  who  has  published  the  nature  of  the 
conversation  which,  he  asserts  from   his  own   knowledge,  is 
interchanged  when  priests  meet  together.     I  shall  not  pollute 
my  hps  by  mentioning  it.     As  to  the  repentance  of  the  people 
of  Nineveh,  I  would  ask,  is  God  satisfied  with  the  external 
expressions  of  sorrow  ?     Does  he  not  say,  "  rend  your  hearts 
ar.d  not  your  garments,  and   turn  to  the   Lord  your  God?" 
With  the  character  of  Henry  the  Eighth  I  have  little  to  do. 
Providence  'tis  true,  employed  him  as  an  instrument,  for  the 
accomplishment  of  important  purposes.     Henry,  indeed,  denied 
the  Pope's  supremacy ;  but  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  he 
died  a  lloiuan  Catholic  in  principle.    Mr.  Muguire  has  eulogized 
Mr.  O'Caliaghan.     Mr.  O'Callaghan,  I  must  be  allowed  to  say, 
is  not  the  organ  of  Protestant  opinion.     I  grant  that  infidelity 
er.ist8  in  Germany ;  but  I  would  ask,  what  is  the  difl^erence 
between  the  state  of  society  in  that  country  and  in  Spain? 
Infidelity  in  the  latter  country  is  afraid  to  give  utterance  to  its 
opinions  ;  ia  Germanv  it  speaks  out.     Is  it  not  more  honorable 
to  profess  scepticism,  tJian  to  cloak  beneath  the  garb  of  hy- 
pocrisy an  atheistical  heart  ]     I  shall  reserve  my  observations 
on  the  divisions  which  Mr.  Maguire  remark^-,  exist  among  Pro- 
testants, till  we  come  to  the  subject  of  unity.     In  proof  that  the 
Bible  is  the  word  of  God,  my  friend  closes  it,  and  appeals  to 
external  evidence — to  the  universal  consent  of  mankind  ;  and 
requires  the  individual  to  believe  on  his  testimomj,  that  the  univer- 
sal consent  of  mankind  is  in  support  of  the  inspired  records. 
In  ordejr  to  discover  the  universal  consent  of  mankind,  is  the 
pagui.v  i  wGuId  askj  to  read  ull  iUe  histories  that  e:;ist  ?     Does 
not  Mr.  Maguire^  in  truth,  appeal  to  the  private  judgment  «f  thi 
man?     Does  he  not  adopt  thesi    node  of  reasoning  which  ho 


OP    PRIVATE    JUDGMENT. 


8d 


professes  to  condemn  ?  Is  it  not  apparent  that  Mr.  Maguire 
will  have  a  much  more  troublesome  task  than  I  shall  have  )  I 
have  not  to  prove  the  infallibility  of  any  church.  I  let  the  Bible 
speak  for  itself.  Mr.  Maguire  ridicules  the  idea  of  an  internal 
illumination,  and  asks,  how  can  a  man  kno»v  whether  he  pos- 
sesses that  inward  light?     I  answer, 

"ThefruitsoftheSpiritarecharity.joy,  peace,  patience,  beni^ity,  goodness, 
love,  amity,  mildness,  faith,  modesty,  continency,  chastity."— Gal.  v,  22,  23; 

Where  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  are,  there  the  Holy  Spirit  dwells. 

"If  any  man  will  do  the  will  of  God,  he  shall  know  whether  the  doctrine 
be  ot  God  or  not,"  says  the  Saviour. — John,  vii,  17. 

My  friend  asks,  how  can  a  man  make  an  act  of  faith  upon 
human  authority !  I  answer,  I  do  not  make  an  act  of  faith  on 
human  authority,  while  I  maintain  that  Mr.  Maguire  does  so. 
Mr.  Maguire  observes,  that  he  would  first  regard  the  scriptures 
merely  as  an  historical  record  and  that  as  such  they  will  con- 
vince his  judgment  that  his  church  is  infallible.  I  must  be 
allowed  to  assert,  that  in  thus  appealing  to  the  gospels  as  merely 
historical  authority,  and  building  upon  them,  as  such,  the  infalli- 
bility of  the  church  of  Rome,  Mr.  Maguire  acknowledges  that 
her  claim  to  infallibility  rests  only  upon  human  authori'ty.  So 
that  Mr.  Maguire  makes  an  act  of  faith  in  the  inftllibility  of  his 
church  according  to  his  own  views,  merely  upon  human  authority. 
I  am  sure  that  the  Roman  Catholic  Hierarchy  will  be  much 
indebted  to  Mr.  Maguire  for  this  disclosure. 

As  to  grace  being  necessarily  conferred  at  baptism,  it  is  mere 
assertion.  In  proof  of  the  opposite  opinion,  we  have  only  to 
refer  to  the  conduct  of  children.  Do  we  discover  every  child 
who  has  been  baptiried,  evincing  the  influence  of  divine  grace  in 
his  temper  atsd  conduct  l  By  no  means.  The  existence  of  the 
mimorai  practices  of  which  children  are  guilty,  is  a  direct  refu- 
tation of  Mr.  Maguire's  position,  that  every  child  receives  grace 
at  baptism. 

Mr.  Maguire  says,  that  no  doctrine  is  so  clearly  proved  in 
scripture  as  the  infallibility  of  the  church  of  Rome.  Millions 
are  of  a  contrary  opinion.  Had  God  really  revealed  the  infalli- 
bility of  the  church  of  Rome,  we  can  scarcely  imagine  but  that 
"le  would  have  made  it  known  in  oUch  broad  and  Tegihle  char- 
acters, that  he  that  runs  might  read  it.  I  shou'd  like  to  know 
where  the  Pope  is  mentioned  in  the  Bible  1  'Tis  not  an  act  of 
saving  faith,  to  believe  merely  that  a  book  has  proceeded  frorw 
God.  I  exercise  saving  faith,  when  I  exercise  it  upon  the  truth* 
oi  salvaliuu  contained  in  the  scriptures. 

but  on 
le  blood 


o[  saivHiiuu  coutauied  m  tne  scriptures. 

I  make  an  ect  of  faith,  not  on  the  testimony  of  man, 
the  authority  of  God.     I  believe  the  blessed  truth.  "th< 

8 


i 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 

.he  ,„d  of  external  evideiice-.he  sacred  volume  S'  be„rr„j 

judgment;  bu.  .  ^oMeJ^Zl^tr—  TJr''''' 

its  influence,  he  will  perish  •  -, ,  H  I  J  '    j  ™""""e  under 

reclaim  him.'     Reli;  "^n,•   t    .   "e  1^171,""^'':"  '" 

"finite  dislance  be.^ee"  "be  g  Ll  S^olZ^'lyiT'"'  "" 

himself,  and  you  wiil  perceive  that  (he  F-.thTtu  J   Sr   . 

Socinian  "  her  i„rallibility ;  h  ,w  ca;7„l''', '"'"''  't 
refuse  an  appeal  to  cora-'n^u  sIseHo  sc  i|  u're      ^'^"V"^ 

J™e»pra;/XtVrha^r^;'i^^^^ 

Srrt-°u;r^:rt- :^!r!^ 

1'!'.."!  **"•.""«  «,'?»"■"••  «■■•  Maguire  arches  ^"h  a™^ 
chu'rch  <-?£;„;«:  "'"  '""  «''*»''-'«^^^-"  •  ^nfallibiii,/;f",ii 


OP    PRIVATE   JUDGMENT. 


87 


Mr.  Maguire  has  nsked,  how  could  an  ignorant  ProtestanJ 
perform  an  act  of  fuilh  f  Blessed  be  God  ;  many  poor  can  do 
so.     God  hath  chosen  not  a  few  individuals  who  are  "  poor  in 
this  world,  to  be  rich  in  faith,  and  heirs  of  the  kingdom."     Mr. 
Maguire  has  referred  to  a  passage  in  Peter.     It  runs  thus,—! 
"No  prophecxj  of  scripture  is  made  by  private  interpretation." 
Uouay,  2  Pet.  i,  20,  {i^uMi  Bmlvaemi,)  or,  as  it  may  be  trans- 
lated, "  no  prophecy  of  scripture  is  its  own  intrepreter ;"  wo 
are  to  mtrepret  prophecy  by  the  analogy  of  scripture.     Can  we 
imagine  that  St.  Peter  did  not  wish  those  whom  he  addressed, 
to  give  attention  to  the  scripture,  when  in  the  19th  verse  he 
says,  "  We  have  the  more  firm  prophetical  word,  whereunto 
]jm  do  well  to  attend,  as  to  a  light  that  shineth  in  a  dark  place?" 
Whom  does  the  Apostle  exhort?    His  epistle  is  not  ctddressed 
to  ecclesiastics  exclusively,  but  "to  them  that  have  obtained 
equal  faith  with  us  in  the  justice  of  our  God  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.       And  It  IS  worthy  of  notice,  that  in  the  second  epistle, 
m  which  the  words  that  we  are  considering  stand,  there  is  no 
mention  whatsoever  made  of  any  ecclesiastical  officer. 
In  the  Apocalypse  I  find  the  following  passage,— 
"Blessed  is  he  that  readeth  and  heareth  the  v.-.Js  oHhia prophecy  » 

Mr.  Maguire  has  referred  to  the  Apocrypha.  It  is  remarkable 
that  Mr.  Maguire  and  his  church  should,  on  the  canonicity  of 
the  Apocrypha,  be  at  issue  with  those  whose  authority  he  pro- 
fesses to  venerate.  In  the  fourth  century,  we  have  the  cata- 
logues of  Jerome,  secretary  to  pope  Damasua  (in  Praefat  ad  Libr. 
Kegum  sive  Prologo  Galeato,)  and  of  Rufinus.  (Expositio  ad 
fey  ml).  Apost.)  most  accurately  agreeing  with  the  Protestant 
canon,  and  rejecting  the  Apocrypha. 

Rufinus  wnles  as  follows  : 

1  "^^.i!'"'"'  K^^^  '^"^^^  ^P'"^'  '^''^  '"  ^^^  C)ld  Testament  inspired  the  ' 
la  V  ^  the  prophets,  ana  m  the  New  the  gospels  and  the  Apostles.  \V here! 
foie^  Apo*tle  says,  that 'all  scripture  is  yiven  by  inspiration  of  God  and 
IS  p^fitablc  lor  doctnne.'-2  T.m.  id,  16.  h  will  not,  therefore,  be  impmper 
to  en,unr,erate  here  the  books  of  the  New  and  Old  Testament,  which  wATnd 
by  the  monuments  of  the  Fathers  to  have  been  delivered  to  the  churXs  as 

Z^\':^^^  t  l^''%^r'-  J'''^  ^^  '^'  O''^  Testan.e„t,  in  the  £  See! 
nlJ      Hv^l'  of  M'oses,  Genes.8,  Exodus,  Leviticus,  is^umbers,  De  ,tero^ 

two  h?Llc  .7r  f'  ""'■^"^*'',°^?^  km-doms,  which  the  HebTewa  reckon 
two  the  '-ook  of  the  kemains,  which  is  called  the  Chronides,  and  two  books 
o\  Ezra  which  by  them  are  reckoned  one,  and  Esther.  The  prophets  a  c 
Isaiah,  Jerermah  Ezek.el,  and  Daniel,  and  besides  one  book  oF  tTe  iwe?v« 
foThe  chnrof  ":rf  the  Fsahns  of  David.  Solomon  has  left  three  bookS 
l^r^:^;^!^^^^^^:.':^^':^^^^  theses  of  Songs;  with 

£ifXTnn.tl  T  f  r'%^  ^^""f'^*' '^'"'^' Luke,  and  John;  the 
«S?i  ^^..^Pftiw  bv  Luke;  foart«m,  epistles  of  the  AposUe  Paul  two 
en.eUe.  of  the  Aportle  Peter;  one  of  JamU,  the  brother  of  the  Lord  and 


88 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


ttelmL^"'"  f  ;^"f®  'n^K'*"^  "''  •^°''"  5  ^^^  Revelation  of  Joh,,.     Those  ar- 
8on  of  SirH.      T*""""'-  "n^i  another,  which  is  called  the  \\  i.clom  of  the 

St.  Jerome,  secretary  to  Pope  Damasus,  writes  thus— 

no«  0/  //U5  niHnfier  «re  /o  he  reckoned  ajwcryphal:  thereforTS<  nf  «Kr  K 

I  slate  upon  Ihe  authority  of  Josephus  and  Bellarmine  that 
he  Jews  -verrecmved  the  Apocr,pha.-(  Joseph.  Cont.  Ap  on 

'■  ,t"\'*  ^*  "^v      ^^  '^^  3iao  Worthy  of  notice,  that  there  nrw 

cootradicttons  in  the  Apocrypha  to  the  canonical  books.     I  am 


or   PRIVATE    JUDGMENT. 


89 


the 
the 


mchned  to  suspect,  that  one  reason  which  induces  the  church 
or  ^Tl  K  ^'*  the  Apocrypha,  is,  that  they  contain  u  passage 
or  two  which  savor  of  purgatory.  In  Maccabees  (1.  vi,  16-2. 
1,  lb.  u,  28.)  wo  are  uiformed  that  king  Antiochu*.  died  three 
TtZTfl'    '"  '  ^r\  "'^'  ^^'  «"'^'^«  •«  commended     The 

and  ^n^^?hJ}^  ^^\l  T^f  ■""  ^"^.^^  ""y  narration ;  which  if  I  have  done  well 
Does  such  language  intimate  that  the  author  believed  that  he 

Hill  prove  that  the  Apocrypha  is  not  canonical.  It  is  a  well 
known  fact,  that  m  the  time  of  Jerome,  the  Roman  church  did 
no   receive  the  ep.stle  to  the  Hebrews  as  canonical,  while  all  the 

sLm  !u-  '^  fu''  '^""''''^  '^--She  receives  it  now.  VVhal 
shall  we  think  of  her  consistency?  St.  Jerome  observes,  that 

tJHi?''"^*''^""^''^.'*".^^®<^h"''<=hcain  the  east  did  receive  the  eoiatles  to 

He'^slyr  "^'^  """*  '"^™'*  ^"^  *^^  judgment  of  the  church  of  Rome. 

o«l^'^''?"=^  ^^?  ^"v'"  (or  Roman)  church  doth  not  admit  this  eoistle  a« 
canonical,  we  notwithstanding  do  receive  it."— Ibid.  ^ 

My  friend  has  referred  to  the  passage  of  St,  Au*a-ustin— 
moLTJth"eto?i""'"2"P^^  ^^'^'^P^  '""^  authority  of  theCati,oIic  church 

ri  i  r  T'  ''''*°?^  '^"^''^  *°  *^^^  P«P«  «^'R"'ne  resistincr 
Lurn  Tr  r'^'  '^^  ^^"^^  Popes.-(Conc.  Afric.  apud! 
feurium.  p  59.)  \\e  may  rest  assured,  therefore,  that  in  the 
passage  wh.ch  Mr.  Maguire  has  cited,  Augustin  did  notreL  to 

he  authority  of  the  church  of  Rome,  an  audiority  which  he  h  m° 
self  opposed.  Perm.t  me  to  make  a  few  observations  on  the 
passage  to  which  Mr.  Mnguire  has  called  our  aUeZn.  I  ^ 
tTh^slln  .' ;  r' •"  !^r^'  l^ypothetically,  not  in  reference 
Mnn  ?  '^^^-^  ^V"'"^'  ^"*  ««  '^'  he  was  yet  halting  between 
Mamchean  pnnc.pl. .,  and  those  of  the  gospel,  usint  crederem 
pro  cred^cl.semco,nmoverel  pro  commovistet,  I  ^hange^  of  fense 
not  unusual  with  son.e  of  the  fathers.  I  beg  to  g?ve  you  the 
views  of  some  emment  Roman  Catholic  writers  upon  thiTpas' 

Du;tdu?d^s'^^!;":±.'^^^^^^^       ^'^  Apost.es.  S^hus 

Aiim.afJn  ^r       " '"""  """"   '"iviiig  quoiea  ihe  words  of 

Augustm,  observes, 

"  This  passage  which  treats  of /A«  appuoval  o/tkc  :a  Ipluns  by  the  church. 


90 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


JSfh7h«  H  r^  «  -f  ''^Tu    '1  "      -"""»  °^  ^'^«  ^^P«'^'««.  ^Wch  was  filled 
w  h  the  Holv  Spint,  and  beside*      w  the  miracles  of  Christ,  and  heard  hi. 

hThZ'     A  """4  H"'' ^'^co""!  w»«  ^  fit  witness  of  the  things  which  Christ 
both  did  and  said."— Durand  in  3  Sent.  Dist  24,  ft.  i,  fol,  169, 

Again,  Gerson,  connnu  nting  on  this  passage  of  Aucustin. 
observes :  o  o         ? 

"By  the  church,  Aucustin  means  the  primitive  assemblies  of  those  tvho 
had  seer,  and  heard  Christ,  and  had  been  his  wJtne88."-De  vita  Spirit, 
aninar.  LecL  2,  coroi.  7,  part  3,  fol.  322.  ^ 

The  view  of  the  celebrated  cardinal  De  Aliaco  is  as  follows  : 
(In  lib.  Sentent.  art.  iii,  fol.  49,  59.)     After  bavin?  observed  that  "the 

pnnciplps  of  theology  are  tlie  truths  of  the  sacred  canbn,  because  trom  them 

19  made  the  ultimate  solution  of  tlieological  discourse," 

He  remjirks,  in  reference  to  this  very  saying  of  St.  Augustin. 

"  h  is  not  proved  by  the  authority  of  St.  Jlugjtatin,  that  he  believed  in  the 
gospel  by  the  aHthonly  of  the  church  as  a  principle  of  theology,  by  which  it  cmdd 
he  proved  Iheologically,  that  the  gospel  is  true,  but  only  a,  the  first  moving  cause 
winch  led  htm  to  the  faith  of  the  gospel.  As  if  he  or  any  other  had  said.  I 
vvoud  not  trust  m  tlw  gospel,  if  the  sanctity  of  the  churcii,  and  the  miracle* 
01  Christ  had  not  moved  me,  in  which  saying,  although  there  be  assitxncd 
some  reason  for  a  belief  in  the  gospel,  it  is  not  entirely  a  first  principle."" 

These  quotations  will  servo,  I  trust,  to  throw  some  light  upon 
the  passage.  I  would  beg  to  remind  my  friend,  that  if  it  were 
not  capable  of  an  easy  and  natural  explanation,  the  Bible,  and 
the  Bible  alone  is  the  religion  of  Protestants.  The  testimony 
of  St.  Augustin  is  of  no  weight  beyond  the  boundaries  of  truth. 
I  have  shown,  however,  that  the  meaning  of  Augustin's  words 
IS  different  from  that  which  Mr.  Maguire  ascribes  to  them  ;  and 
the  comment  of  Augustin  himself  on  the  fourth  chapter  of  John 
(Iract  XVI,  23,)  seems  boautifuliy  to  elucidate  his  meaning: 

"The  woman  first  told  the  Samaritans,  and  they  beffeved  upon  her  toti- 
mony,  and  asked  the  Saviour  to  remain  with  them.  He  remained  two  daVs 
and  more  believed.     And  when  they  had  believed,  they  said  to  the  woman' 

We  now  believe,  not  for  thy  saying,  for  we  ourselves  have  heard  him.  and 
know  that  this  is  indeed  the  Saviour  of  the  world,"  Trst,  by  report,  after- 
^ntiam  »        P'"^^^"*^^  °^  Christ."-"  Primum  per  fainam,  postea  per  prcc- 

Augustin  adds : 

"So  now  it  happeneth  with  those  who  are  out  of  the  church  and  not  vet 
Minstians.    Christ  is  taught  by  ChrisUan  friends,  as  it  were  by  the  woman 
that  IS  by  the  church's  instruction.     They  come  to  Christ  and  believe  by  the 
report;  and  many  more  and  with  more  confidence  believe,  that  he  is  the 
Ssaviour  of  the  world." 

The  mere  testimony  of  man  may  be  the  first  exciting  cause 
of  drawing  the  mind  towards  the  scriptures  ;  but  does  that  testi- 
mony therefore  become  infallible  ?  Does  a  man,  tvho  receives 
the  record  that  God  has  given  concerning  his  Son,  though  his 
atteniion  may  have  been  first  attracted  to  the  inspired  records  by 
tlie  testimony  of  a  fellow-creature,  exercise  an  act  of  faith  00 


OF    PRIVATE    JUDGMENT. 


91 


hjiman  authority  ?  By  no  means.  Were  nil  the  churches  and 
all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  to  assert,  that  a  particular  vol.pne 
was  u  revelation  from  God,  if  that  volume  contained  an  immoral 
code,  palpable  contradictions,  or  statements,  plainly  derogatory 
to  the  character  of  God,  I  could, not  receive  it  as  divine. 

Mr.    Maguire— My  friend  commenced  by  assf^rting  that 
Christ  did  not  pronounce  his  Apostles  infallible,  because  Judas 
betrayed  his  master.     This  llict  only  proves  that  he  did  not  pro- 
niise  them  the  quality  of  itnpeccability,  but  by  no  means  proves 
that  he  did  not  promise  them  infallibility  in  matters  of  faith. 
1  hough  Judas  betrayed  his  master,  he  did  not  deny  the  faith- 
he  committed  the  sin  for  money,  and  he  supposed  that  his  master 
won  ,1  escape  fi-om  his  enemies.     Though  he  betrayed  his  mas- 
ter,  he  vvas  guilty  of  no  breach  of  faith.     I  called  on  Mr.  Pope 
to  show  how  a  Protestant,  literate  or  illiterate,  can  make  an  act  of 
laith  or  of  belief  in  the  divine  inspiration  of  the  sacred  scriptures. 
.Vlr.  rope  says  that  the  language  of  the  scriptures  carries  about 
It  internal  evidence  sutficient  to  convince.     Are  those,  to  whom 
he  gives  the  scriptures,  learned  enough  to  discover  this  fact? 
He   alked  ot  an  internal  illumination,  and  how  a  person  upon  a 
sudden  comes  upon  the  light  of  the  gospel.     Is  there  a  scholar 
present  who  does  not  feel  (hat  Mr.  Pope  has  not  approached 
he  difficulty?     How  will  the  poor  and  the  illiterate  ascertain 
truth  of  scripture  from  the  manner  in  which  they  are  con- 
veyed?    May  not  the  poor  and  ignorant  man  continue,  as  St. 
Augustin  did    before  his  conversion,  to  laugh  at  the  ssfcred 
volume^     But  afler  his  conversion,  St.  Augustin  tells  of  the 
veneration  he  paid  to  that  noblest  of  all   works,  the  sacred 
scriptures.     St.  Augustin,  be  it  remembered,  was  converted  bv 
the  preaching  and  teaching  of  St.  Ambrose,  and  not  by  reading 
the  Bible.     How  Will  the  new  convert  from  Paganism  receive 
the  grace  of  the  Ho'y  Ghost?     The  grace  of  the  Holy  (J host 
is  not  communicated  until  after  baptism  has  been  conferred. 
Look  at  Cornelius  the  centurion.     If  in  his  moral  habits  and 
good  life  he  exhibited  a  portion  of  God's  mercy,  he  did  not 
receive  the  visible  marks  of  the  Holy  Ghost  until  after  his  bap. 
tism.     Nor  did  the  Samaritans  exhibit  the  marks  of  that  diviAe 
grace,  till  they  were  baptized.     It  would  be  more  difficult  to 
bring  home  to  the  conviction  of  a  pagan  the  proofs  of  that 
internal  evidence  ot  the  scriptures  of  which  Mr.  Pope  speaks, 
han  the  proofs  of  their  inspiration.     Mr.  Pope  wants  to  prove 
!^!J -Zl?!!;;"  „"^,:L^^  scriptures  to  the  pagan,  by  a  thing  which 
--  ..-.  .p...  n)o,  c  u.iijcuu  oi  prooi.      W  1th  regard  to  the  Socinian, 
how  does  Mr.   Pope  act?     «I  lay  down,''  says  he,  -  certain 
texts  of  scriptuf  e^they  are  wrongly  interpreted  by  the  Sociniai, ; 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


^*  THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 

but  I  did  not  force  his  judgment."     Mr.  Pope,  thank  God 
cannot  force  the  judgment  of  any  individual ;  but  my  observa- 
tions  M'as  that  Mr.  Pope  could  not  urge  any  interpitation  at 
all  uport  the  Socmian,  without  violating  the  principle  of  private 
judgment.     Ihe  Socmian  may  retort  on  Mr.  Pope,  and  tell 
him  that  his  mterpretation  of  the  scriptures  is  false.     The  Soci- 
nian  may  say,  "I  exercise  my  reason,  and  you  surely  will  not 
find  fault  with  me  for  doing  so.     The  position  that  three  make 
one,  and  one  makes  three,  is  perfectly  above  human  comprehen- 
sion.     Do  you   require  me  to  admit  things  which  are  quite 
inconceivable?     \cu  do  not,  of  course,  desire  that  I  should 
abandon  my  reason,  and  as  to  internal  evidence  ?— it  is  a  thine 
neither  known  to  you,  nor  to  any  one  else."     Such  would  bl 
the  answer  of  the  Socmian  to  Mr.  Pope.     I,  on  the  other  hand, 
might  not  be  able  to  convert  the  Socinian,  but  he  could  not  say 
that  I  contradicted  myself.     I  would  deny  to  the  Socinian  th^ 
right  to  interpret  the  scriptures  by  private  judgment.     That 
would  be  leaving  the  word  of  God  dependent  on  the  whim  and 
caprice  of  every  individual.     The  word  of  God,  I  maintain, 
depends  for  its  mterpretation  on  the  church— that  church  which 
IS  the  collection  of  the  churches  of  the  same  communion,  scat- 
tered through  the  world-that  church  over  which  Christ  appointed 
tot.  Peter  to  preside,  giving  to  him  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  promising  that  whatever  he  loosed  on  earth,  should  be 
loosed  mneaven,  and  whatever  he  bound  on  earth,  should  be 
bound  in  heaven.     Have  all  those  churches  conspired  through- 
out all  ages  to  give  a  wrong  interpretation  to  the  scriptures? 
or  have  they  conspired  to  give  a  false  meaning  to  any  particular 
text  f     bee  the   unanimous   consent  of  different  and   distant 
nations  on  the  subject.     Is  not  that  unanimous  agreement,  a 
better  proof  of  the  truth  of  the  interpretation,  and  of  its  having 
descended  from  the  Apostles,  than  the  varying  and  capricioul 
judgment  of  each  individual?     Mr.  Pope  does  not  say  that  he 
js  intallible,  yet  he  endeavours  with  all  the  presumption  of  infal- 
Jibility  to  force  his  interpretation  of  the  scriptures  on  the  Soci- 
nian.    Compare  Mr.  Pope's  interpretation  with  the  agreement 
ot  all  nations— with  that  quod  universa  tenet  ecclesia.     Here  are 
many  churches  and  different  nations  all  agreeing  in  a  particular 
interpretation  and  specified  articles  of  faith,  for  eighteen  hundred 
years.     Are  not  their  opinions  more  worthy  of  adoption,  than 
the  whims  and  follies  of  individuals?     My  friend  has  quoted 
some  of  the  holy  Fathers— I  would  advise  him  to  act  as  Luther 
did,  and  throw  them  overboard.     The  Fathers,  be  will  find,  are 
quite  against  him.     I  could  quote  thirty  difl^erent  Fathers,  who 
sirongjy  condemn  the  exercise  of  private  judgment.     St.  Au- 
gustm,  m  his  book  Contra  Faustum  11,  tome  vi,  p.  183,  says, 


OP    PRIVATE    JUDGMENT. 


93 


"These,  so  many  and  so  great  ties  bind  the  believing  man  to  the  Catholic 
church.  The  consent  of  nations ;  tho  regular  succession  of  bishops  from 
Peter,  to  whom  Christ  committed  the  care  of  his  sheep,  down  to  the  present 
bishop  of  Rome ;  lastly,  the  name  of  Catholic  itself.  But  unless  the  authority 
of  this  church  induced  me  to  it,  I  would  not  believe  the  Gospel.  As  then! 
obey  those  who  say  to  me,  '  Believe  the  Gospel ;'  so  why  should  I  not  obey 
them  when  they  say  to  me,  'Believe  not  the  Manichajans.'  " 

"This  church,  moreover,  the  divine  authority  commends,  and  as  it  cannot 
deceive  us,  he  who  fears  to,  be  imposed  on  will  consult  the  church,  which 
without  any  ambiguity,  the  scriptures  establish."— Contra  Cresconium  Lib. 
1,  tom.  7,  p.  168. 

And  again—"  Do  thou  run  to  the  tabernacle  of  God,  hold  fast  to  the 
Catholic  church ;  do  not  depart  from  that  rule  of  truth,  and  thou  shalt  be 
protected  in  th<*  tabernacle  from  the  contradiction  of  tongues." — Ennarratio 
tertia  in  psalmum  30j  tom.  viii,  p.  74. 

I  quote  from  genuine  editions  of  the  Fathers.     1  do  not 
advance  corrupted  passages.     Let  Mr.  Pope  show  me  in  a 
genuine  edition  any  passage  in  which  St.  Augustin  refused  to 
hold  communion  with  the  church  of  Rome.    Mr.  Pope,  in  urging 
his  interpretation  of  the  scriptures  upon  the  Socinian,  would 
never  succeed.     The  Socinian  would  say,  '<  1  have  as  good  a 
right  as  you,  Mr.  Pope,  to  the  exercise  of  my  private  judgment, 
and  reason  is  on  my  side."     I  might  not  be  more  felicitious  in 
my  attempts  to  convert  the  Socinian.     I  would  not,  however, 
contradict  my  own  principles.     I  would  refer  him  to  the  consent 
of  mankind  through  many  ages.     I  would  shame  him,  if  he  were 
a  reasonable  man,  into  conviction.     I  would  take  the  Socinian 
by  the  throat— Mr.  Pope  could  not  even  take  him  by  the  heels. 
Has  Mr.  Pope  explained  how  it  happens  that  Protestants  must 
remain  in  many  instances  actual  infidels,  for  several  years  after 
they  have  arrived  at  the  age  of  discretion.     The  Protestant  child 
cannot  receive  the  Bible  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  Pope.     When 
he  opens  the  sacred  volume,  he  finds  passages  in  it  which  may 
make  him  believe  it  not  to  be  the  work  of  God.     There  are 
more  passages  to  be  found  in  it  of  that  description,  than  Mr. 
Pope  could  point  out  in  what  he  considers  the  Apocrypha.     But 
I  hold  the  book  in  which  they  are  found  to  be  of  divine  inspira- 
tion ;  and  if  I  cannot  understand  them,  I  resign  my  judgment  to 
the  church.     But  the  Protestant  child  must  remain  an  infidel. 
For  to  doubt  of  Christianity,  is  absolute  infidelity.     The  Roman 
Catholic  child,  when  baptized,  receives  the  aid  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.     He  promises  at  baptism  to  obey  the  church;  and  I 
proved  the  object  of  his  obedience  entitled  to  it.     But  the  illu- 
mination of  which  Mr.  Pope  speaks,  never  can  be  provedt    It  ia 
adapted  only  to  sublimated  imaginations.     It  is  unfortunate  that 
Mr.  Pope  appeals  to  the  Bible  to  decide  our  controversy— for 
«jv  x.-ttT.c  .=  a  uuiiiu  juugu.     \jur  ijora  says  to  nis  uposUes — 

.i."S°  7*'  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations;  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of 
the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  tlie  Holy  Ghost    Teaching  them  to 


94 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


^" 


obsorre  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you ;  and  behold  I  am  with 
you  all  dajs,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world." — Matt  xxviii,  19,  20. 

Agaip— "Go  ye  into  the  whole  worW  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature,  tie  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved;  but  he  that 
believeth  not,  shall  be  condemned." — Mark  xvi,  15,  IC. 

Here  our  Lord  plainly  tells  us,  that  he  who  receives  their 
preachiujr,  when  baptized  shall  be  saved.  Where  is  the  object 
of  Mr.  Pope's  faith?  He  cannot  make  the  mere  book  the 
object  of  his  faith.  He  cannot  invest  the  translators  with 
infallibility.  He  will  not  surely  give  that  title  to  Beza,  and 
others.  Every  thing  in  the  Protestant  church,  and  in  Mr.  Pope's 
lay  church,  is  fallible.  How  can  an  immoveable  structure  bo 
raised  upon  a  moveable  foundation  ?  Mr.  Pope  illustrated  one 
of  his  arguments,  by  placmg  one  book  on  the  top  of  another. 
The  illustmtion  may  be  appropriately  and  happily  applied  in  this 
instance.  Here  are  two  books,  which  we  shall  suppose  to 
represent  the  scriptures  and  private  judgment.  The  Protestant 
child  must  read  the  scriptures  upon  the  authority  of  private 
judgment,  and  vice  versa,  he  must  sustain  private  judgment  upon 
the  scriptures.  He  tnust  capsize  one  to  support  the  other.  If 
the  Protestant  ehiirch  be  liable  to  error,  how  can  any  man  confide 
his  faith  in  it?  And  even  if  the  church  be  supposed  fallible, 
'  would  it  not  be  cruel  to  deprive  the  poor  and  ignorant  of  their 
only  guide,  they  themselves  being  unable  to  investigate.  But 
the  Catholic  church  being  infallible,  the  Catholic  rests  his  faith 
with  security  on  its  authority.  The  consent  of  mankind  for 
many  ages  is  in  support  of  the  Catholic  church.  A  single 
witness  may  be  suborned,  but  millions  cannot  be  bribed.  I 
propose  the  following  syllogistic  argument  to  Mr.  Pope,  in 
reference  to  his  faith.  That  faith  cannot  be  divine  which  is 
founded  upon  human  authority — now  his  faith  is  founded  upon 
human  authority,  therefore  it  cannot  be  divine.  There  is  a 
wonderful  coincidence  between  the  opinion  of  Luther,  and  the 
opinion-  of  Mr.  Pope,  respecting  the  Apostles.  They  want  to 
do  away  with  the  infallibility  of  the  Aposties,  and  they  confound 
impeccability  with  infallibility-  Luther,  in  a  German  work, 
which  I  hold  in  my  hand,  and  in  another  translated  into  Latin 
by  Jonas  Justus,  at  Luther's  own  request,  speaking  of  the 
Apostles  and  Fathers,  says — "The  Apostles  were  great  sinners, 
ignora.nt  men,  and  precious  rogues/'  or  in  the  original.  "  Die 
Apostel  seynd  auck  grosse  Siinder  geweszt,  unJe  gutc,  grobe, 
grosse  sch£elck."  He  says,  "  Even  Paul  himself  was  not  so 
sure  of  his  doctrine,  and  often  doubted,  whether  he  preached  the 
truth  or  not."  "  St.  Jerome  was  a  herf*ic" — '♦  St.  Chrysostoni 
was  a  prattler,"  and  ridiculing  the  intercession  of  saints,  he 
dares  to  blaspheme  his  God:  **I  beseech  you,  oht  my  dear 


little  devil,  that 


OP   PRIVATE    JUDGMENT. 


95 


J     I  V.  '  '^  intercede  with  God  for  me :  mv  dear  littia 

devil,  pray  to  God  for  me."  '  ^  ""® 

I  now  call  on  Mr.  Pope  to  make  the  Bible  speak,  and  thus 
decide  the  difference  between  us.     If  he  does  not^do  s'o  accorS 
ing  to  h.s  princples,  Christ  has  appointed  a  dumb    udgelo 
decKle  upon  all  differences  between  man  and  man.    ff  olr 

fnlloTK-  ^"r"  "^i"*"^  *^^  ^''^"  *°  '^^^^  «very  individual  to 

foUow  his  own  whim  and  caprice.     If  man  be  thus  sent  adrift 
without  any  ceilain  guide  to  direct  him  in  the  way  of  salvaU  "n 

on  the  last  day.     I  ask  if  Mr.  Pope  had  an  estate  at  stake 
would  he  not  employ  a  lawyer  to  direct  him  in  his  difficuUies' 

thetct  ofT  l"^^^^Vf -«^-i^i"g  his  own  private  judgment  on 
the  Ac  of  Parliament,  leave  it  to  the  interpretation  and  decision 
of  his  legal  adviser?  He  wisely  relinquishes  his  private  juX" 
ment  and  he  saves  his  estate;  what  does  St.  Paul  mean  when 
he  speaks  of  "captivating  every  understanding  1"-2  Co?  x  6 
InnumeraWe  are  the  evils  which  result  from  depriving  the'lmve; 

?oundLt  M  p'*^'"'^  "PT  ^^'^^  «'«"«  '^-^  fahh  can  be 
founded?  Mr  Pope  says  that  the  declarations  of  Christ  are 
obvious  and  plain.  I  wish  to  know  by  what  means  ^:  Pro! 
testant  can  ascertain  that  /%  «re  the  declaraliona  of  Christ.  Let 
Mr.  Pope  quit  the  foolish  doctrine  of  internal  illumination.  - 
Anus  appealed  to  internal  illumination-so  did  all  the  heretics- 
80  did,  in  latter  times,  the  celebrated  Johanna  Southcote     she 

lirvpr^:  Th"^  f  parsons  were  among  her  followers  and  be! 
levers  \  This  doctnne.  which  Mr.  Pope  advocates,  tends  to 
he  utter  destruction  of  civil  society  and^cclesiasticd  S^^^ 
I  would  rather  endure  the  despotism  of  a  Ferdinand,  tha^  adnS 
a  principle  so  contradictory  tp  common  sense-a  prindple  so 
we  I  calculated  to  rend  asunder  the  ties  which  unite  man  to  man! 
and  to  disolve  the  social  syste*^  altogether.  * 

Mr.  Pope.— My  opponent,  I  must  be  allowed  to  observe,  has 
substituted  assertion  for  argument.  He  has  said,  that  it  ilmore 
difficult  to  prove  the  internal  evidence  of  the  ^Sures  Than 
their  inspiration.  I  brought  forward  the  internal  T^idence  in 
proof  of  their  inspiration.  Mr.  Maguire  has  asserted  that  a  maS 
rnust  be  baptized  before  he  can  receive  the  Holy  Ghost.  Tn 
the  8th  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  we  read  tharPhil  p 
before  he  acceded  to  the  wish  of  the  Ethiopian  eunuch  who 
requested  to  be  baptized,  said,  •  If  thou  believest  witralUhy 
heart,  thou  mavest;"  the  eimnrh  nn.,.,^...j    ..  r  \   "      V,  J' 

•tt  of  feilh.  bofore  he  receive,  the  Holy  Gho.!;  for  "no  mao 


•ni^pMlMiiiMHiiMpirn 


96 


THE    DIVIWE    RIGHT 


can  say  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost."     The 
eunuch,  therefore,  must  have  been  under  the  influence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  when  he  made  this  act  of  faith.     AfUr  he  had  made 
it,  "  they  went  down  to  the  water,  both  Philip  and  the  eunuch, 
and  he  baptized  him."    He  says,  that  it  is  contrary  to  my  system 
to  urge  any  meaning  of  scripture  against  the  conviction  of  the 
Socinian,  as  it  would  interfere  with  the  exercise  of  his  private 
judgment.     I  have  already  noticed  his  sophism,  but  the  obser- 
vation may  truly  be  returned  upon  Mr.  Maguire.     Does  not  the 
church  of  Rome  act  in  contradiction  to  her  principles,  when 
arguing  with  the  Socinian  1   Mnst  she  not  allow  him  to  exercise 
his  judgment  upon  the  proofs  which  she  brings  forward  in  support 
of  her  claim  to  infallibility  ]     My  friend  observes,  that  no  man 
can  force  the  judgment  of  another.     I  am  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  the  remark.     But  the  church  of  Rome  endeavours  to  force 
the  judgment,  and  calls  on  men  to  act  inconsistent  with  their 
reason?     He  says  that  I  am  opposed  to  the  whole  world.     I 
stand  here  as  an  advocate  of  the  great  principles  which  genuine 
Protestants  maintain  in  common,  and  as  a  protester  against  the 
errors  to  which   they  are   in  common  opposed.     Athanasius 
declared  himself  to  be  alone  against  the  whole  world,  when 
Pope  Liberius  signed  the  Arian  creed,  and  the  condemnation 
of  Athanasius. — (Dupin.  Eccl.  Hist.  2  vol.  p.  62,  1697,  Lond. 
—Baron,  tom.  1,  939,  ad  ann.  367,  No.  46,  Mayence  16C1.) 
My  friend  has  stated  that  I  brought  forward  corrupted  passages 
of  the  fathers.     Was  it  honorable  in  him  to  make  such  an  asser- 
tion, particularly,  when  he  will  have  an  opportunity  of  consulting 
the  quotations?     I  beg  to  say,  that  I  have  examined  in  the 
original  with  some  care  the  passage  from  Augustin  upon  which 
my  friend  has  so  long  dwelt;  and  I  find  that  Augustin  makes 
use  of  the  expression  "Catholicis  laudaniihua  evangelium"  com- 
mending the  gospel — "  vituperantibus   Manichffium" — expres- 
sions which  throw  considerable  light  upon  the  passage.     My 
learned  opponent  has  asserted,  that  the  Socinian  never  could 
be  converted  on  my  principles.      The  fact  is  otherwise ;    for 
Socinians   have  been  converted   by  the  advocates  of  private 
judgment.     My  friend  has  again  repeated  the  position,  that  the 
children  of  Protestants  must  remain  atheists  until  they  arrive  a1 
the  years  of  discretion.     I  beg  altogether  to  deny  the  truth  of  the 
assertion.     Much,  I  admit,  devolves  on  parents  and  pastors. 
Their  authority  I  recognize;  but  authority  is  one  thing, 
INFALLIBILITY   ANOTHER.      Is  not  a  Romau  Catholic  child 
precisely  in  the  same  circumstances  %     I  must  be  permitted  to 

ueny,  iiiui  cunuicii  iii-.vu}=  icucitc  j^iuv-  h.  s—j-.!  -..-, jj 

to  scripture  in  support  of  my  opinion.     How  does  the  Roman 
Catholic  child  receive  the  doct^nes  of  his  church,  if  not  upon  the 


OP    PRIVATE    JUDGMENT. 


«T 


•tatement  of  the  parent  or  the  priest,  a  child  being  quite  incapable 
I  ^^J'^!f*2«  Its  reason  on  the  proofs  of  the  infallibility  of  the 

church  of  Rome?  In  first  of  Corinthians,  12th  chapter,  there 
s  a  beautiful  companson.     An  analogy  is  there  drawn  between 

Uie  church  and  the  human  body.     The  men.bers  of  the  human 

frame  contribute  mutually  to  each  other's  well-being  :^- 

»„  'Zf  Ff  k""""^  ""y  ^?  ^^  ''""*''  I  "«««^  not  thy  help ;  nor  again  the  head 

f^rr^}^^^^^^^^  t- ±Te  tS 

^TtT'.-    ?"'  ^"/^""'ely  parts  have  no  needjTuS  hath  fempeJed 

thatJhtVmSh/h'  ^'"'"F  '°  H''}''^'  ^^''"^•d  ^»^«  ">°r«  abuS5ant  honoir. 
that  there  might  be  no  sclnsm  m  the  body,  but  the  members  mi-ht  be  mutuallv 

careful  one  for  another.    And  if  one  member  suffer  any  thina?  a   the  memhp^ 

suffer  with  It;  or  if  one  member  glory,  all  the  membra  rejoice  wftTf^^^^^ 

^J!"^  poor  believer,  who  is  acquainted  with  a  person  of  judif- 
^ent  and  piety,  may  derive  useful  information  from  him:  mfy 

his  infallibility.  Thus,  each  member  of  the  church  of  Chrift 
contributes  to  the  edification  of  the  whole  body;  but  I  deny  S 
any  part  or  the  whole  is  infallible.  /  ,  "  1 1  aeny  mat 

^  Mr.  Maguire  insinuates  that  a  man  cannot  know  whether  he 
IS  enlightened  by  the  Holy  Spirit.     The  Apostle  says? 

Aa»tn^«T"''^''^"°''''^.^P''1^°'"^''"«t,hei8noneofhi9.--Rom  viii  9 

Agam,  "Try  your  ownselves,  if  ye  be  in  the  faith;  provrve  voSl' J  v« . 

know  you  not  your  ownselves,  that  Christ  Jesus  a  inToi!  unle^  rrh.n- 

you  be  reprobates  ?— 2  Cor.  xiii,  5.  ^  ^  perhapa 

in  Y^^ol^  ^^^  uT^^^  "'^  '"^5  language,  if  it  were  not  possible 
to  discover  whether  we  are  influenced  by  the  grace  of  God? 

My  friend  has  reminded  us,  that  "  Faith  cometh  by  hearing, 
and  hearing  by  the  word  of  God."  It  is  true  that  the  reading 
of  the  scripture  is  not  the  only  mean  by  ^vhich  faith  cometh  m 
history  and  experience  testify.    The  kingdom  of  God  is  prmote^ 

the  word  of  God,-otherwise  there  can  be  no  saving  faiih  produced 

?n  rhll'n^Jamltr  ^'"  '^^^  ^^  ^  *--'-^  ^'''^^^^ 
Mr.  Maguire,  as  occasion  requires,  asserts,  that  the  Bible 
Bupports  the  church,  and  vice  versa,  that  the  church  the  B^We 
There  is  no  departure  from  my  principles  in  first  exerdsing  r  fj 
judgment  on  the  proofs  of  revelation,  Ld  subseqenUy  a3^^^^ 

Mr   mZ  r  ''"'fi^Z''"''  ""^'^^  "g»^*  of  privat^e  judVm^eT  ^ 

Mr.  Maguire  says,  that  it  would  be  a  pity  to  deprive  th*.  nonr 

man  of  his  belief,  that  the  Bibl«  i«  fh.  S  ^r^Pfl^'fR?^' 

mm  that  his  church  is  not  infailible:'  irk,^;7oo:V3 

tant,.  who  deny  the  infallibility  of  the  church  of  Rome,  af  u,2^ 


98 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


quainted  with  the  contents  of  the  revelation  as  the  poor  belentging 
to  the  church  of  Romej  or  do  they  doubt  the  gonuinenww,  and 
authehticity,  and  inspiration  of  the  scriptures  ]  Let  experience 
and  fact  testify  and  answer  these  questions. 

Faith,  we  are  again  told,  cannot  be  divine,  if  it  rests  upon  the 
testimony  of  man.  On  my  principles,  my  faith  rests  not  upon 
the  testimony  of  man,  but  of  God.  Truth  is  revealed  by  God 
in  the  sacred  volume,  and  I  exercise  faith  upon  that  truth.  My 
friend,  on  the  contrary,  would  have  us  to  exercise  an  act  of 
faith  in  the  infallibility  of  the  church  of  Rome  upon  the  authority 
of  the  scriptures,  regarded  merely  as  an  historical  narrative. 

Mr.  Maguire's  quotations  from  Luther  are  probably  of  a 
similar  description-  with  the  extract  which  a  Roman  Catholic 
Priest  lately  gave  in  a  sermon,  from  the  table-talk  of  Luther* 
that  "  Moses  was  a  hangman."  The  German  word,  in  more 
polished  phraseology,  signifies  an  "executioner;"  and  it  is 
plain  from  the  context,  that  by  the  word  "  Moses,"  Luther 
mtended  to  designate  Ihe  Moral  Lawy  which  acts  as  an  execu- 
tioner to  those  who  seek  to  be  justified  by  their  obedience  to  its 
demands.  , 

What  was  the  conduct  of  the  Apostles  1  Did  they  domineer 
oyer  the  faith  of  the  primitive  Christians  ? 

"Not  for  that,  says  the  Apostle  Paul,  we  have  dominion  over  your  futh, 
bat  are  helpers  of  your  joy." — 2  Cor.  i,  23. 

When  the  Bereans  contrasted  with  the  scriptures  the  preach- 
ing even  of  an  Apostle^  are  they  condemned  for  not  having 
implicitly  received  his  testimony  1  No,  St.  Luke,  in  the  seventh 
chapter  of  Acts,  and  eleventh  verse,  writes, 

"  Those  toere  more  noble  than  those  of  Thessalonica,  in  that  they  received 
the  word  with  all  eagerness,  daUy  searching  the  scriptures  whether  these  things 
were  so" 

Here  we  find  the  Bereans  exercising  their  judgments  on  the 
Old  Testament,  in  reference  to  the  preaching  of  an  inspired 
Apostle ;  and  nut  only  is  there  no  censure  passed  upon  them* 
butt  on  the  other  hand,  a  high  eulogium  pronounced  upon  their 
conduct  My  friend  has  quoted  the  passage — ♦*  If  an  angel 
fr6m  heaven  preach  any  other  Gospel  unto  you  than  that  which 
you  have  received,  let  him  be  accursed."  Gal.  i,  8,  9.  Is 
not  this  a  direct  appeal  to  us  to  exercise  our  judgment  upon  the 
doctrines  of  a  preacher,  even  though  he  should  descend  from 
heaven,  irradiated  with  all  the  brightness  of  angelic  glory  ?  My 
friend's  analogy  between  an  appeal  to  the  church  of  Rome  and 
to  Judges,  to  Parliament  and  to  the  house  of  Lords,  falls  to  the 
<r*ound  *  for  neither  Judges,  nor  Parliament-  nor  house  of  Lords 
are  infallible.  Judges  can  only  take  cognizance  of  the  outward 
Bctt  but  the  church  of  Rome  would  extend  its  control  over  th4 


OP    PRIVATE    JUDGMENT. 


9& 


mind  and  conscience.    Judges  must  not  be  paities  in  the  causes 
which  come  before  them,  lest  they  should  be  biased  by  interest. 
But  the  Pope,  and  his  undefined  church  are  a  party  in  the  hon- 
ours and  emoluments  which  result  from  their  claim  of  infallibihty. 
We  perceive,  therefore,  that  there  exists  no  analogy.     Mr.  Ma- 
guire  has  quoted,  as  if  from  scripture,  the  words,  "  captivating 
the  understanding."     I  do  not  remember  such  a  text.     My 
friend  has  stated,  that  the  principle  of  private  judgment  has  led 
to  the  deposing  of  monarchs.     I  have  before  remarked,  that  the 
principle  should  be  exercised  in  accordance  with  sound  sense. 
On  the  other  hand,  I  shall  prove  that  Popes  considered  them- 
selves justified  in  deposing  sovereigns.     I  would  ask,  was  it  the 
right  of  private  judgment,  or  the  pretension  of  infallibility,  which 
led  Gregory  VII,  to  depose  Henry,  Emperor  of  Germany] 
Irregory's  decree  runs  thus — 

«  On  the  part  of  the  Omnipotent  God,  I  forbid  Henry  to  govern  the  kin». 
doins  of  Germany  and  Italy.  I  absolve  all  his  subjects  from  every  oath  whi^ 
they  have  taken  or  may  take  to  him;  and  I  excommunicate  every  person 
who  shall  serve  him  as  king.— (Lib.  v,  Ep,  24.)  j  r"^" 

Gregory  IX,  made  the  following  announcement  in  the  thirteenth 
century — 

"Be  it  known  to  all,  who  are  under  the  dominion  of  heretics,  that  they  are 
«et  free  from  every  tie  of  fidelity  or  duty  to  them ;  all  oaths,  and  soleinn 
engagements  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.''— (Lib.  v,  Tit.  7.) 

The  Maynooth  Class-book  informs  us,  that— 

«The  Pope  passed  sentence  against  the  Emperor  Frederick  upon  a  charge 
Ot  havmg  violated  a  treaty  of  peace,  and  also  upon  a  vehement  suspicion  of 
heresy.  The  words  of  the  sentence  were  these:- 'Inasmuch  as  we,  though 
unworthy,  do  stand  in  the  place  of  Jesus  Christ  on  earth,  and  to  us  it  was  safd. 
m  the  person  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  whatsoever  thou  bindest  on  earth  shall  be 
bound  in  heaven,'  we  having  previously  ustd  diligent  deliberation  with  our 
brethren  and  the  holy  council  (the  council  of  Lyons,  received  as  general  at 
Maynooth)  concerning  the  above,. and  many  other  nefarious  excesses,  do 
declare  the  aforesaid  pnnce  to  be  bound  in  his  sins,  to  be  a  cast-away,  and 
deprived  of  all  honour  and  dignity ;  we  denounce  him,  and  deprive  him  by  this 
sentence,  absolving  his  subjects  from  their  oaths  of  fidelity,  and  by  our  apos- 
tohcal  authority,  strictly  enjoining,  that  no  one  shall  hereafter  obey  hini  as 
emperor  or  king."  '  ^ 

^  Here  are  examples  of  the  head  of  the  church,  by  the  exercise 
of  his  authority,  deposing  kings ;  and  in  one  of  the  instances 
adduced,  asserting  that  the  proceeding  was  sanctioned  by  a 
general  council. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  assert,  that  whenever  an  individual  in 
the  exercise  of  his  judgment  has  co-operated  in  deposing  a 
sovereign,  he  has  abused  the  faculty.  I  argue  not  for  "the 
abuses  of  pnvate  judgment.  If  i  find  the  exercise  of  private 
judgment  to  accord  with  the  voice  of  the  Cod  of  Nature  and 
of  Revelation,  I  maintain  that  the  charges  of  my  opponent  are 


100 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


levelled  not  against  mc,  but  against  the  Lord  of  Lords  and  King 
of  Kings.  Is  it  logical  to  argue  from  the  abuse  of  a  thing 
against  its  use  1  Every  blessing  may  be  perverted.  Learning, 
health,  and  liberty,  may  be  abused ;  but  are  we,  therefore,  to 
prefer  the  iron  grasp  of  tyranny  to  the  sweets  of  freedom  ;  and 
are  ignorance  and  debility  to  be  substituted  in  the  room  of 
science  and  of  health  ?  One  word  more — the  doctrine  of  infal- 
libility militates  against  the  promises  of  divine  wisdom  made  to 
them  that  seek  it.     The  Psalmist  says : 

"  Open  thou  mine  eyes  that  I  may  behold  wondrous  things  out  of  thy 
law."— cxix  Ps.  18. 

"  Thy  word  is  a  lamp  to  my  feet,  and  a  light  to  my  paths." — cxix  Ps.  105. 

"If  ye  then  bein"  evil,"  says  the  Saviour,  "know  now  to  give  good  gifts 
unto  your  children,  now  much  more  will  your  heavenly  Father  give  his  Holy 
Spirit  to  them  that  ask  him." — Luke,  xi,  13. 

"  If  any  man  lack  wisdom,"  says  St.  James,  "  let  him  ask  of  God,  who 

fiveth  to  all  men  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto 
im." — i,  5. 

If  I  am  to  bow  implicitly  to  the  dictates  of  the  church  of 
Rome,  why  do  I  want  wisdom?  Why  shcjld  I  exercise  my 
judgment  by  '*  proving  all  things  and  holding  fast  that  which  is 
good  ?'*  Monstrous  contradiction  !  In  truth  the  very  fiict  that 
God  has  vouchsafed  to  us  a  revelation  of  his  will  and  character, 
evidently  implies,  that  man  should  exercise  his  judgment  upon 
its  contents.  I  would  say  in  conclusion,  therefore,  let  us  all, 
clergy  as  well  as  laity,  vindicate  the  right  of  private  judgment. 
The  priests,  as  well  as  the  laics,  must  answer  at  the  bar  of 
judgment.  They  cannot  give  account  for  us.  Wo  to  those  who 
follow  the  direction  of  ecclesiastics  implicitly.     It  is  written, 

"The  blind  and  the  leaders  of  the  blind  shall  both  fall  into  the  ditch." 

I  fear  that  quotations  from  the  Fathers  are  calculated  rather  to 
weaken  the  impression,  which  I  trust  has  been  made  upon  yout 
conscience.  As,  however,  a  few  minutes  remain,  I  shall  occupy 
them  by  reading  you  a  few  extracts.     St.  Augustin  says,  that 

"  The  manner  of  expression  in  which  the  holy  scripture  is  framed,  although 
it  is  to  be  penetrated  but  by  few,  is  accessible  to  all.  Those  plain  things 
which  it  contains,  it  speaks  to  the  heart  of  the  unlearned  and  learned,  like  a 
familiar  friend,  without  disguise.  That  mind  which  is  inimical  to  this  doc- 
trine, is  either  erroneously  ignorant  that  it  is  most  wholesome  or  loathes  the 
medicine  from  disease." — Episl.  1 37  ad  Volusianum. 

Again,  "  God  has  bowed  the  scriptures  even  to  the  capacity  of  babes  and 
sucklings,  as  he  hath  in  another  Psalm,  he  bowed  the  heavens  and  came 
down." 

For  the  exposition  of  passages  which  cannot  be  explained  by 
a  comparison  with  other  parts  of  the  sacred  volume,  AugustiD^f 
rule  is-  not  to  consult  an  infallible  church-  but 

"Let  every  one  interpret  according  to  his  own  sense." 
*'Prout  quisque  volueriL" — Lib.  dt  unit  Eee.  c.  16. 


OF    PRIVATE    JUDGMENT.  10)1 

St.  Chrysostom  says, 

«« All  necessary  things  are  manifest"— flom.  in  2  Thtt.  9. 
St.  Basil  says, 

trinJJl^^T'^".  '''k  "^  '"»t"'«=ted  in  the  scriptures  must  examine  the  doc 
tnncs  of  their  teachers;  they  must  receive  those  things  which  are  agrteaWe 
to«cnpture,and  reject  what  are  contrary  to  it."-/n"jtfora/i«m  Re%a  72, 

Mr.  Maguire— This,  perhaps,  is  the  most  important  half 
u\      I,    discussion.     It  remains  for  this  assembly  to  say 
whether  Mr.  Pope  has  at  all  attempted  to  get  out  of  the  diffi- 
culty—to wit,  how  a  Protestant  child  could  make  an  act  of  faith 
upon  the  inspiration  of  the  scriptures.     All  Mr.  Pope's  areu- 
ments  went  to  show  that  the  scriptures  are  the  word  of  God.    Is 
there  an  individual  present  who  does  not  entertain  a  similar 
opinion  f      Ihat  belief  is  a  common  principle  between  us.     I 
only  Avant  to  show  that  the  Protestant  child  cannot  know  the 
scriptures  to  be  the  word  of  God,  by  the  rule  which  Mr.  Pope 
endeavours  to  establish.- Mr.  Pope  places  the  child.under  cir- 
cumstances which  render  it  impossible  for  him  to  make  an  act 
of  faith,     Would  It  not  be  better  for  Mr.  Pope  to  show  how  the 
Protestant  child  could  make  an  act  of  faith,  than  to  treat  us  to  a 
sermon  on  the  Bible,  quoting  St.  Augustin  as  to  its  utility— a 
thing  which  I  surely  never  denied.     I  trust  in  heaven  I  shall 
never  forbid  the  reading  of  the  holy  Bible,  under  proper  circum- 
!lr!l?'*     ?  •  ^"g"?'n  speaks  of  the   perusal  of  the  sacred 
Zl  r  n??  "'^^"'  *^  ^''''^'•«" 5  does  he  thereby  constitute 

them  as  infallible  authorities  to  decide  upon  its  meaning?    The 

ITf^IlwK     Tl^u""^^  ^"  '"^^"'^'«  authority,  believes  in  articles 
^hlTu     1  ^*'"^''  otherwise  never  ascertain  of  himself 

whether  they  came  from  God,  or  were  committed  to  writin-  by: 
men  mspired  by  h.m.     I  have  shown  that  Christ  left  a  sure'and 

ITaT*  ^a  !""  "^"""I  "''"'^•"^-  ^^^°^  ^^^  "°t  appointed  a 
puide  to  direct  man,  he  would  have  left  the  mass  of  mankind 

nyolvedm  Ignorance  and  error.  If  the  Bible  contain  divine 
truths  of  what  utility  would  it  be  to  the  ignorant,  if  thev  pos- 
sessed not  the  means  of  ascertaining  whether  it  be  the  work  of 
whltho   fK''*«-Tu^\"°*  ^^°"'"  ^°^  ^^^  •g"0'-a°t  can  ascertain 

B^h  .  th/^^  ''"^'^  °^  ?P^'  ^'^  ^''  Pope  show  us  from  the 

of  thl  *jt /'""'"'"'^"u^^**^"  Holy  Ghost-baptism  with  the  sign 

ti.pJV   .        ?"'u'''*^"*'^''*>^-^"^  that  infants  may  be  bap- 

n^     ?  Jl^  ^V^^  P'^^t'^^  o^  Christ  and  his  Apostles?  I 
understand  that  Mr.  P«no  ;n.i»«j  :.  „  j: ._    /-        !.       .       . 

thert  fi        °"  .those  Domts.     But  that  fact  alone  proves  that 
there  is  no  unity  of  doctrines  amongst  Protestants,  and  that 

9* 


r 


T02 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


while  the  Bible  teaches  one  Protestant  to  believe  one  thing,  it 
teaches  a  second  Protestant  to  believe  another  thing.  There 
are  many  articles  of  faith  admitted  by  Protestants,  not  to  be 
found  in  the  Bible.  Will  Mr.  Pope  show  me  from  the  Bible, 
an  authority  for  changing  the  Sabbath?  Mr.  Pope  said  the 
Apostles  broke  bread  on  that  day  of  the  week.  Why,  the  Apos- 
tles broke  bread  upon  every  day  in  the  week.  That  was  an 
extremely  weak  and  foolish  argument  to  introduce  to  justify 
such  a  change.  It  appears  that  Mr.  Pope  imagined  nt^  had 
caught  me  in  an  historical  error.  He  soys  I  have  quoted  Beza 
as  one  of  those  who  translated  the  Bible  in  the  rcign  of  James  I. 
I  deny  the  fact— I  accused  Luther,  Beza,  and  others,  of  wilfully 
corrupting  the  Bible  ;  but  not  the  Bible  as  translated  in  James 
I's  reign.  Would  Mr.  Pope  insinuate  that  there  were  no  other 
translations  prior  to  that  time  ?  Has  he  never  heard  of  one  by 
Luther— one  by  Zuinglius— one  by  (Ecolampadius,  &c,  &c] 

Latimer  corrupted  the  text,  and  bid  defiance  to  all  authority— 
so  did  Cranmer,  and  Henry  VHI,— he  who,  after  leading  a  bad 
life,  when  his  end  approached,  thought  only  of  saving  his  soul, 
and  accordingly  returned  to  that  church  where  certainty  and  truth 
were  alone  to  be  found.  But  Mr.  Pope  has  given  up  Henry 
VHI,  Luther,  and  Cranmer,— he  scarcely  defended  Beza ;  and 
he  ventured  not  to  whisper  a  word  in  support  of  Zuinglius,  who 
received  his  doctrine  agaiftst  transubstantiation  from  a  spirit,  as 
he  says  himself,  nescio  an  albo,  vel  nigro.  ^ 

Mr.  Pope  talks  of  a  Catholic  clergyman  having  misquoted 
Luther,  in  asserting  that  Luther  called  Moses  a  hangman.  Mr. 
Pope  says  he  only  calls  him  an  executioner.  What  is  an  exe- 
cutioner but  a  hangman?  I  deny  that  Mr.  Pope  interprets  the 
German  text  correctly.  I  have  the  original  work  of  Luther,  in 
German,  here  on  the  table,  and  the  celebrated  Pichler  says  that 
the  word  employed  by  Luther  does  mean  hangman. 

As  to  Mr.  Pope's  arguments  respecting  the  deposing  power 
assumed  by  some  pontiffs— I  never  said  the  Popes  were  infalli- 
ble. Moreover,  Christ  did  not  combine  the  quality  of  impecca- 
bility with  the  prerogative  of  infallibility.  Judas  did  not  lose  his 
faith  when  he  betrayed  his  master— and  Christ  says  to  Peter,— 

♦'But  I  have  prayed  for  thee  that  thy  faith  fail  not;  and  thou  being  once 
converted,  confirm  thy  brethren."— (Luke,  xxii,  32.) 

Infallibility  and  impeccability  are  not  then  inseparable,  as  Mr. 
Pope  would  maintain.  Out  of  nearly  three  hundred  Popes, 
there  are  only  eleven  whose  conduct  and  lives  can  be  arraigned 
as  absolutely  criminal.  Who  is  there  here  that  has  not  com- 
jj.u*gji  gCjj?  T.ft*  him  who  is  spotless  throw  the  first  stone. 
We  hear'enough  of  "  saints"  in  these  days— but  we  know  that 
our  Saviour  compared  the  Pharisees  to  white-washed  sepulchres. 


f 


OP    PRIVATE    JUDGMENT.  lOS 

It  is  eaj.y  enough  to  assume  the  appearance  of  sanctity,  oftd  to 
put  on  a  puritanical  face.     I  again  ask  Mr.  Pope  how  the  Pro- 
testant child  can  be  led  by  internal  evidence  to  make  an  net  of 
faith,  and  that  too  upon  the  Bible,  before  he  can  know  that  it  is 
the  word  of  God  ?     I  repent  the  question  which  I  have  already 
urged  respecting  the  Socinian.     Does  not  Mr.  Pope  violate  the 
principle  of  private  judgment  when  he  endeavours  to  force  his 
interpretation  of  the  scriptures  upon  the  Socinian  ?     Has  not 
the  Socinian  as  good  a  right  to  attack  the  private  judgment  of 
Mr.  Pope  ?    If  1  could  not  convince  the  Socinian  of  the  divinity 
of  Christ  by  the  authority  of  the  church,  I  would  not,  at  all 
events,  go  in  direct  opposition  to  my  avowed  and  well  known 
principles.     I  would  force  upon  him  the  general  agreement  of 
nations  which  ascribes  to  Christ  the  establishment  of  a  church, 
and  of  an  infallible  guide.     As  I  said  already,  I  would  shame 
him  into  conviction,  by  appealing  to  the  consent  of  nations,  all 
differing  from  each  other  on  other  subjects,  and  yet  agreeing  in 
this  point — I  would  prove  that  the  vox  Populi  was  here  truly  the 
vox  Dei.     I  would  show  him  the  voice  of  God  in  the  church, 
and  that  he  was,  therefore,  called  upon  to  obey.     If  I  let)  him 
unconvinced  I  would  enjoy  this  advantage  over  Mr.  Pope,  that 
he  could  not  charge  me  with  self-contradiction.     But  the  diffi- 
culties which  Mr.  Pope  would  have  to  encounter  with  the  Soci- 
nian are  insuperable.     The  Socinian  would  say,  that  he  could 
not  conscientiously  believe  that  a  God  could  suffer  death— he 
would  not  allow  it,  because  he  would  say  it  was  against  reason. 
In  vain  would  Mr.  Pope  adduce  against  him  the  evidence  of  the 
Bible.     The  Socinian  would  appeal  to  the  grand  charter  of 
gaspel  liberty,  the  right  of  private  judgment.     If  the  Bible  can 
be  interpreted  by  private  judgment,  I  should  like  to  know  from 
Mr.  Pope,  with  the  aid  of  his  internal  illumination,  what  is  the 
meaning  of  that  passage  in  Zacharias,  where  the  prophet  says, 
"  upon  one  stone  there  are  seven  eyes."     I  should  also  like  to 
know  from  him,  why  did  God  forbid  fish  to  be  offered  by  the 
Jews  in  sacrifice  ]     And  why  did  God  command  the  Jews  not 
to  wear  drugget  1     Can  Mr.  Pope  interpret  these  difficult  pas- 
sages ?     Are  there  ten  Protestants  here  who  will  give  the  same 
interpretation  to  any  one  text  of  scripture  ?    Will  it  be  said,  that 
the  Holy  Ghost  can  infuse  the  spirit  of  contradiction.     Every 
heretic  nriay  have  recourse  to  this  rule  of  private  judgment,  and 
by  it  justify  his  errors.     It  is  good  for  society  that  obedience  be 
rendered  to  human  power — why  not  also  to  spiritual  power  ? 
If  a  fallible  authority  is  to  be  obeyed  by  man,  when  he  is  not 
able  to  live  by  himself,  a  fortiori,  he  should  yield  obedience  to 
an  mfaliibie  authority  in  the  great  and  important  concern  of  his 
salvation.     If  temporal  power  be  not  established  in  societv. 


104 


THE    DIVINE    RIGHT 


neither  order  nor  regularity  will  exist.  A  simi'ar  authority 
should  exist  in  the  spiritual  society  instituted  by  Christ.  If  it 
be  a  faqt,  that  the  church  of  Christ  could  teach  error,  then  the 
',  more  perfect  dispensation  of  the  Son  of  God,  did  not  leave  us 
any  thing  eqtial  to  the  Jewish  synagogue,  which,  until  his  com- 
ing, did  not  err  in  the  faith.  And  yet  Mr.  Pope  will  have  it, 
that  the  church  of  Christ  has  erred. 

Mr.  Pope  will  not  yield  his  assent  to  that  which  is  borne  out 
by  the  general  consent  of  many  and  different  nations  from  the  first 
era  of  Christianity.  The  principle  which  Mr.  Pope  advocates 
are  those  upon  which  Arius  and  Eutyches,  Cerinthus,  and  uU 
other  heretics,  ground  their  defence.  They  are  the  principles 
which  inspired  the  wild  men  and  women  in  Germany,  who 
danced  naked  through  the  streets,  shouting  aloud  that  the  king- 
doms of  the  earth  were  given  unto  them,  with  an  army  of  fifty 
thousand  *o  vnake  good  their  claims.  These  are  instances,  I 
will  be  <  the  abuse  of  private  judgment,  but  they  are  abuses 

necessi  j'mg  from  the  principle  itself.    I  would  ask,  when 

the  princ.^  ,  .s  once  granted,  where  is  the  guarantee  against  its 
abuse.  Is  it  to  be  unlimited  in  its  nature ;  or  will  Mr.  Pope 
ventujfe  to  draw  out  the  line  of  demarcation  ?  Or  rather,  will  he 
not — must  he  not,  to  be  at  all  consistent,  allow  every  individual 
to  do  as  he  pleases  ? 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  real  high  priest — the  corner-stone  of  his 
church,  and  the  Apostles  and  their  successors  are  the  super- 
structure, teaching  and  preaching,  through  the  guidance  of  the 
Holy  Ghost, 

"And  I  will  ask  the^Father  (says  our  Saviour  to  his  Apostles)  and  he 
shall  give  you  another  Paraclete,  that  he  may  abide  with  you  for  evoi." — 
John,  xiv,  16. 

I  shall  again  put  the  question  (which  I  have  so  often  repeated) 
in  due  form  to  Mr.  Pope,  and  if  he  be  a  sincere  lover  of  truth,  I 
expect  an  answer  from  him  in  plain  and  obvious  terms.  I  call 
upon  him  to  point  out  in  what  manner  a  Protestant  child,  before 
he  arrives  at  the  years  of  discretion,  can  make  an  act  of  faith, 
or  how  he  can  ascertain  the  authority  of  the  scriptures  ?  He 
must  remain  a  doubter,  and  consequently  an  infidel.  But  the 
Catholic  has  but  one  single,  solitary  fact  to  establish,  namely, 
the  authority  of  the  church ;  in  arriving  at  that,  he  is  at  liberty 
to  exercise  his  judgment,  but  when  he  has  once  ascertained  the 
fact,  he  yields  to  the  church  unlimited  obedience  in  matters  of 
faith.  But  the  Protestant  possesses  no  such  means  to  enable 
him  to  make  an  act  of  faith.  All  great  writers  have  seen  this 
difficulty.  It  was  acknowiedged  by  Claude  in  the  celebrated 
discussion  with  Bossuet,  and  he  endeavoured  to  throw  it  back 
<Hi  Bossuet,  as  Mr.  Pope  has  attempted  to  do  with  me. 


I 


I 


THfc    DOCTH^INE    OF    PURGATORT. 


1(»5 


But  I  have  shown  that  the  Catholic  can  make  the  act  of  faith, 
after  he  has  ascertained  the  simple  fact  of  the  church's  authority. 
While  the  Protestant  must  ascertain  that  every  single  text  of 
scripture  is  inspired,  and  that  all  are  preserved  pure  and  un- 
changed, as  they  were  originally  written  by  the  Apostles.  The 
Protestant  must  travel  through  this  impracticable  inquiry,  there- 
fore It  IS  impossible  that  he  can  make  an  act  of  faith.  While, 
on  the  contrary,  the  Catholic  has  simply  to  ascertain  the  author- 
ity of  the  church,  and  then  to  yield  obedience  to  it.  It  was  for 
that  purpose  Christ  left  us  his  church  upon  earth ;  and  St.  Peter 
says  of  the  scriptures — 

"In  which  there  are  some  things  hard  to  be  understood,  which  tlie  un- 
learned  and  unstable  wrest,  as  also  the  other  scriptures,  to  their  own  perdi- 
tion." — (2  Peter,  in,  16.)  '^ 

It  is  manifest,  then,  that  there  must  exist  an  authority  to  direct 
us  m  the  interpretation  of  the  sacred  volume. 

1  beg  to  conclude  this  day's  discussion,  by  apologizing  for 
the  many  disadvantages  under  which  I  labor.  I  am  not  able  to 
engage  your  fancy  by  language  shining  and  sparkling  as  a  bottle 
of  champaign.  I  possess  not  the  powers  of  oratory  to  catch  the 
feelings,  and  to  lead  captive  the  understandings  of  my  auditory. 
If  truth  did  not  combat  on  my  side,  how  is  it  possible  tbot  a  man 
like  me,  who  cannot  boast  of  much  learning— who  has  been  for 
years  engaged  in  the  laborious  duties  of  the  mission,  and  totally 
estranged  from  the  pursuits  of  literature,  could  meet  and  oppose, 
by  sound  arguments,  the  reasonings  of  a  man  like  Mr.  Pope, 
who  has  devoted  his  life  to  the  study  of  this  subject,  and  who 
has  nothing  else  to  occupy  his  attention. 


Third  DAY.—Saturday,  April  21. 


SUBJECT.—'*  The  Doctrine  of  Purgatory^ 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  chair  was  taken  by  Admiral  Oliver 
and  John  O'Brien,  Esq.,  of  Elmvale. 

Mr.  Pope  rose,  and  called  on  Mr.  Maguire  for  his  proofs  oi 
the  doctrine  of  Purgatory. 

Mr.  Maouire.— Gentlemen,  I  appear  this  day  at  the-bar  of 
public  opinion,  to  defend  a  doctrine  in  which  we  are  all  equally 
concerned— that  there  do  exist  prejudices  against  that  doctrine 
amongst  many  of  my  Protestant  countrymen,  is  too  notorious 


106 


THE   DOCTRINE    OP    PURGATORT. 


I 


4 

h 


to  be  questioned.  If  I  should  be  happy  enough  to  remove  any 
of  them,  it  will  be  doing  muclj  for  your  salvation,  and  will  afford 
me  sincere  pleasure.  If  this  doctrine  of  purgatory  be  once 
removed, — if  this  most  consolatory  dogma  be  discarded, — ^you 
must  then  resort  to  the  dreadful  alternative  of  believing  that  the 
moment  the  soul  is  departed  from  the  body,  it  is  either  plunged 
vor  eternity  into  the  depths  of  hell,  or  borne  triumphantly  by  the 
angels  of  God  into  the  realms  of  endless  bliss.  Is  there  any 
person  here  so  presumptuous  as  to  say,  that  he  expects  with 
confidence,  the  moment  of  his  dissolution  to  appear  before  a 
merciful  but  essentially  just  Judge,  white  as  the  snows  of  hea- 
ven, and  pure  as  the  angels  of  God  1  I  wish  any  man  who  may 
possess  it  joy  of  such  confidence — most  assuredly  it  is  not  mine. 

Before  I  proceed  to  my  direct  proofs  of  purgatory,  (for  I  only 
deal  in  direct  arguments)  I  may  here  remind  you,  though  per- 
haps I  am  not  strictly  in  order  in  so  doing,  that  I  proposed 
yesterday  three  arguments  to  my  learned  friend,  at  which,  as 
appears  to  me,  he  has  scarcely  condescended  to  glance.  I 
asked  him  what  was  the  last  resolution  of  an  act  of  faith  in  the 
mind  of  a  Protestant.  I  called  upon  him  to  explain  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  meeting,  how  a  Protestant  on  taking  the  Bible 
into  his  hands,  could  make  an  act  of  divine  faith  upon  the  abso- 
lute inspiration  of  the  sacred  scriptures.  I  called  upon  him  to 
show,  by  what  means  he  could  make  any  rational  impression 
upon  the  mind  of  the  Socinian,  ^ho  admits  the  scriptures,  and 
who  also  admits  the  right  of  private  judgment  in  common  with 
Mr.  Pope.  I  wanted  him  to  show  how  he  would  impress  upoa 
the  mind  of  the  Socinian,  that  fundamental  doctrine  of  Chris- 
tianity—the divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  moment  Mr.  Pope 
attempts  to  press  his  particular  interpretation  on  the  Socinian, 
the  latter  claims  an  equal  right  to  choose  his  own  interpretation 
of  the  text— he  tells  Mr.  Pope,  that  he  is  violating  the  principle 
of  private  judgment,  and  that  he  should  not  monopolize  and 
appropriate  to  "himself,  that  which  was  every  man's  birth-right. 
He  asserts,  moreover,  thai  his  interpretation  is  more  rational 
than  that  of  Mr.  Pope,  who  proposes  a  doctrine  (he  will  say) 
opposed  to  human  reason,  and  to  common  sense.  When,  there- 
fore, Mr.  Pope  should  propose  to  the  Socinian,  doctrines  above 
human  comprehension,  he  justly  claims  his  own  right  of  private 
judgment,  he  weighs  all  mysteries  in  the  scale  of  human  reason, 
and  taxes  Mr.  Pope  with  a  violation  of  his  hereditary  right. 

I  asked  Mr.  Pope,  how  he  could,  with  the  Bible  in  his  hand, 
convert  the  benighted  pagan?  The  latter  in  search  of  truth, 
takes  up  the  scriptures,  reads  therein  several  passages,  which, 
to  a  mind  not  endowed  with  spiritual  light,  may  appear  to  sanc- 
tion the  most  desperate  crimes  :  he  is  besot  on  all  sides  by  the 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORT. 


IW 


« 


objections  of  deists  and  atheists— of  Voltaire,  Diderot,  Rous- 
seau, Julian  the  apostate,  Celsus,  Porphyry,  &c.  And  if  St 
Augustin  had  to  write  four  large  volumes  to  reconcile  the  four 
evangelists,  is  it  not  plain  that  the  half-converted  infidel  must 
have  recourse  to  the  authority  of  the  church,  to  solve  all  his 
dijfficulties,  and  remove  his  doubts  ?  or,  if  he  would  not  trust  to 
that  authority,  he  must  be  able  to  explain  away  all  the  objections 
of  the  deists — to  compare  and  examine  every  passage  in  the 
Bible ;  he  must  prove  the  authenticity,  the  integrity  and  the 
inspiration  of  the  scriptures, — and  here  is  a  task,  which  I  hum- 
bly conceive  Mr.  Pope  himself  is  not  adequate  to  perform. 
These  are  the  three  points  which  I  have  repeatedly  urged  upon 
the  attention  of  Mr.  Pope,  and  which  he  has  not  met  to  the 
satisfaction  of  this  meeting. 

I  now  come  to  my  direct  proofs  of  Purgatory.     I  shall  first 
state  what  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  church  on  the  subject. 
According  to  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  we  believe  that  after 
the  Almighty  God  has  forgiven  the  sins  actually  committed  by 
man,  as  to  the  eternal  punishment  a  temporal  punishment  may  be 
annexed  by  God  as  the  effect  of  sin,  and  may  remain  after  the 
eternal  punishment  has  been  remitted.     This  temporal  penalty 
may  be  inflicted  in  this  life,  or  may  be  inflicted  in  the  next. 
Thus,  after  the  fall  of  Adam,  though  his  sin  was  washed  out  by 
faith  in  a  future  Saviour's  blood,  stHl  death  remaitied  as  the  tem- 
poral punishment  and  conseqaence  of  the  original  sin  of  Adam. 
When  David  was  guilty  of  the  double  crime  of  adultery  and 
murder,  and  when  the  prophet  Nathan  announced  to  him,  upon 
the  authority  of  God  himself,  that  his  cfimes  were  forgiven  by 
the  Lord  of  Hosts,  he  at  the  same  time  annexed  to  the  forgive- 
ness of  the  eternal  penalty  a  temporal  punishment,  for  he  declared 
to  David  that  his  adulterous  offspring  should  not  live.     David 
wept  bitterly— he  bedewed  the  sheets  of  his  bed  with  tears,  an5 
he  besought  the  Lord  that  his  child  might  live;  but  the  child 
died,  and  this  was  a  temporal  punishment  annexed  to  the  sin, 
after  the  eternal  had  been  forgiven.     Catholics  do  not  hold  that 
there  is  any  particular  fire  in  purgatory.     The  church  has  not 
taken  upon  herself  to  determine  where  purgatory  exists ;— all 
she  has  defined  in  the  council  of  Trent,  which  is  very  explicit  on 
the  subject,  is,  to  pronounce  it  an  article  of  faith,  that  there 
exists  a  third  place,  where  the  sotil  of  some  go  after  death,  and 
where  they  are  detained  by  Almighty  God,  till  they  are  purified 
ttnd  prepared  for  heaven.     That,  after  a  certain  detention  there, 
through  the  mercy  of  God,  and  the  prayers  and  sutiVages  of  the 
faithful  on  earth,  they  are  received  into  heaven.     This  is  a  plain 
dogma.     It  has  nothing  to  do  with  racks,  tortures,  or  fires,  or 
many  other  things  with  which,  no  doul  i,  m  the  minds  of  sonw 


r,wrr 


108 


THE    DOCTRINE    C P  PURGATORY. 


present,  the  doctrine  of  purgatory  has  been  heretofore  associated. 
It  now  remains  with  you  to  see  what  are  the  proofs  of  purgatory, 
and  what  the  motives  of  credibility  which  induce  CathoUcs  to 
believe  in  that  doctrin-e.  The  first  text  I  shall  quote  to  you  is 
from  St.  Matthew,  ch.  v,  vpr.  25,  26. 

"Make  an  agreement  with  thy  adversary  mrckly,  whilst  thou  art  in  the 
way  with  him ;  lest  perhaps  the  adversary  deliver  thee  to  the  judge,  and  the 
judge  deliver  thee  to  the  officer,  and  thou  be  cast  into  prison.  A'men,  I  say 
to  thee,  thou  shalt  not  go  out  from  thence,  till  thou  pay  the  last  farthing." 

It  is  very  clear  that  the  words  here  "  whilst  thou  art  in  the 
way,"  mean  whilst  in  this  life ;  and  that  the  expression  which 
follows,  *♦  lest  thy  adversary  deliv3r  thee  to  the  judge,  and  the 
judge  to  the  officer,  and  thou  be  cast  into  prison,"  from  whence 
there  is  no  release  till  the  last  farthing  shall  be  paid,  means,  lest 
thou  shalt  be  overtaken  by  death,  who  comes  like  a  thief  in  the 
night,  and  be  cast  into  purgatory,  where  the  last  farthing  shall 
be  paid — that  is,  all  your  sins  must  be  expiated  by  suffering, 
before  you  shall  be  released,, and  admitted  into  the  regions  of 
bliss.  I  pretend  not  to  give  a  particular  description  of  the  place 
to  which  the  sacred  text  alludes,  but  I  leave  the  passage  to  make 
its  due  impression  upon  the  mind  of  every  honorable  Protestant. 
The  next  passage  I  shall  cit«  is  from  St.  Matthew,  ch.  xii,  ver. 
32,  36. 

*' And  whosoever  shall  speak  a  word  against  the  Son  of  man,  it  shall  be 
forgiven  him ;  but  he  that  shall  speak  a£;ainst  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  shall  not 
be  forgiven  him,  either  in  this  world,  or  In  the  world  to  come.  But  I  say 
unto  you,  that  every  idle  word  that  men  shall  speak,  they  shall  render  an 
account  for  it  in  the  day  of  judgment" 

Here  our  Saviour  makes  the  utterance  of  a  single  idle  word  a 
sin  to  be  accounted  for  at  the  day  of  judgment.  Is  the  suppo- 
sition violent  that  a  man  may  suddenly  expire  after  the  expression 
of  an  idle  word.  That  idle  word  does  not  constitute  a  mortal 
sin  sufficient  to  damn  him  for  ever;  it  is  that  species  of  sin  to- 
which  the  prophet  alludes  when  he  says,  that  the  just  man  falls 
seven  times  a-day.  He  could  not  be  a  just  man  if  these  were 
mortal  sins.  If  then  a  man  be  suddenly  carried  off  in  an  apo» 
plectic  fit,  and  cannot  enter  heaven  on  account  of  the  utterance 
of  a  single  word,  where  does  he  go  ?  I  beg  leave  to  refer  you  to 
the  1st  Epistle  of  St.  Paul  to  the  Corinthians,  iii,  8, 12, 13, 14, 15. 

"  Now  he  who  planteth,  and  he  who  watereth  are  one.  And  every  one 
shall  receive  reward  according  to  his  own  labour.  Now  if  any  man  build 
upon  this  foundation,  gold,  silver,  precious  stones,  wood,  kay,  stubbie ;  every 
man's  work  shall  be  made  manifest ;  for  the  day  of  the  Lord  shall  declare  it, 
because  it  shall  be  revealed  by  fire ;  and  the  fire  shall  try  every  man's  work 

t\9      ma/nof    a/\l*t    it    *a  It     n  n  ir    mna  rk)a    «»j%«*l«-    nKi^A    varKa^K    V«a    l\nll«    Kiitl*    *l-(M*u^B*«iAn  . 

he  shall  receive  a  reward.  If  any  man's  work  burn  he  shaU'suiTer  loss ;  but 
he  himself  shall  be  saved,  yet  so  as  by  ^re." 

I  may  here  remark,  what  I  shall  prove — that  of  seventeen 


THE    DOCTRINL    OF    PUROATC RY. 


109 


holy  fathers  of  the  2cl,  3d,  4th,  and  6th  centuries,  from  whose 
works  I  shall  hereafter  give  you  ample  quotations,  there  is  not 
one,  with  the  exception  of  two,  that  does  not  refer  to  the  foregoing 
text  in  proof  of  the  existence  of  purgatory.  I  shall  only  say 
that  if  any  passages  shall  be  adduced  from  scripture,  against 
purgatory  clearer  than  this  text,  which  is  manifestly  in  support 
of  that  doctrine,  I  will  then  acknowledge  that  I  am  wrong.  I 
shall  next  refer  you  to  2d  Corinthians,  i,  11. 

J*^°j'r  ^^  ?'^"'  '*y^»  "helping  withal  in  prayer  for  us;  that  for  this  gift 
Obtained  for  us  by  many  persons  thanks  may  be  given  by  many  in  our  behalf." 

St.  Paul  here  begs  the  prayers  of  the  Corinthians— these 
prayers,  it  is  true,  were  for  the  living— and  /  therefore  am  not  for 
contending  that  this  text  is  a  clear  one  in  favor  of  purgatory. 
But  if  prayers  for  the  living  be  justifiable  and  proper,  I  cannot 
undersand  why  prayers  for  the  dead  should  be  condemned. 
Again,  1st  Peter,  iii,  18,  19,  20. 

"Because  Christ  also  died  once  for  our  sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  that  he 
might  offer  us  to  God,  being  put  to  death  indeed  in  the  flesh,  but  brought  to 
lite  by  the  spirit.  In  \vhich  also  he  came  and  preached  to  those  spirits  who 
were  m  prison ;  who  in  time  past  had  been  incredulous  when  they  waited  for 
the  patience  of  God  in  the  days  of  Noe,  when  the  ark  was  a  buildih«T.  in 
which  few,  that  is  eight  souls,  were  saved  by  water.  ° 

Here  we  find  a  prison  spoken  of,  into  which  Christ  entered 
and  preached  to  the  dead.  Here  is  a  manifest  acknowledgment 
of  a  third  place.  The  creed  says,  that  Christ  descended  into 
hell— surely  not  into  the  hell  of  the  damned— for  it  is  recorded, 
that  Christ  released  those  who  were  detained  therein.  Will  it 
be  shown  that  the  place  referred  to  in  this  text,  and  into  which 
Christ  entered  has  ceased  to  exist  ? 

Our  Saviour  says.  Matt,  xii,  32, 

"And  whosoever  shall  speak  a  word  against  the  Son  of  man,  it  shall  be 
forgiven  him ;  but  he  that  shall  speak  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  shall  not 
be  torgiven  him,  neither  in  this  world  nor  in  the  world  to  come." 

Now  as  St.  Augustin  justly  remarks,  in  commenting  on  this 
passage,  if  no  sin  can  be  forgiven  in  the  world  to  come,  the 
argument  of  Christ  has  lost  its  force ;  and  as  in  that  case  it 
would  be  equally  impossible  to  obtain  forgiveness  in  the  world  to 
come  for  sins  against  the  Father  and  the  Son,  as  for  those  against 
the  Holy  Ghost,  the  passage  would  mean  nothing.  I  shall  add 
to  the  quotations  which  I  have  already  given,  the  following  from 
the  2d  book  of  Maccabees,  xii,  43.  We  v  -'  It  there  recorded, 
that  Judas  Maccabeus 

"Making  a  gaihcring,  he  sent  twelve  thousand  drachms  of  silver  to  Jeru- 
taleni  for  sacrifice,  to  be  offered  for  the  sins  of  the  dead,  thinkin.r  well  and 
religiously  concerning  the  resurrection."  " 

And  it  is  added,  "It  is  therefore  a  holy  and  wholesome  thought  to  oray  fof 
the  dead,  that  they  may  be  loosed  from  their  sina."  °  ^ 

10 


MlHIl 


110 


THE    DOCTRINE    OP    PURGATORT. 


I  am  well  aware  that  we  shall  hear  arguments  urged  againbt 
the  cauonicity  of  this  book.  But  I  shall  only  use  it  as  an 
historical  testimony  tor  the  present ;  and  as  such  it  proves,  that 
Judas  Maccabeus  offered  up  prayers  for  the  dead,  *'  deeming  it 
a  holy  and  wholesome  thought  to  pray  for  the  dead,  that  they 
may  be  loosed  from  their  sins." 

As  an  historical  record,  it  tesiifies  that  the  practice  of  praying 
for  the  dead  existed  among  the  Jews.  When  Christ  condemned 
the  fables  and  inventions  of  the  Pharisees,  why  did  he  not  point 
his  indignant  censure  against  this  practice,  and  condemn  this 
portion  of  the  public  worship  of  the  Jews  as  superstitious,  or 
unjustifiable  ?  I  would  wish  much  that  Mr.  Pope  would  adhere 
to  strict  argument  and  logical  deduction.  It  will  be  in  vain  for 
him  to  meet  direct  arguments,  drawn  from  Scripture,  and  from 
the  practice  of  the  church  during  the  first  five  hundred  years  of 
the  Christian  aera,  by  an  historical  quibble.  Such  a  subterfuge 
exposes  the  weakness  of  his  arguments. 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  lay  before  you  various  quotations  from 
the  fathers  on  the  present  subject,  and  I  pledge  myself  to  their 
accuracy  and  authenticity.  TertuUian  says,  De  Corona  Militum, 
p.  209, 

"A'mons  the  Apostolical  traditions  received  from  our  fathers,  we  have 
oblations  for  the  dead  on  the  anniversary  day — oblationcs  prodefunctis  annua 
die  facimus." 

In  his'  treaties  on  Monogamy,  cap.  x,  p.  556,  he  thus  advises 

a  widow — 

"Pray  for  the  soul  of  your  departed  husband,  entreating  repose  to  him  and 
participation  in  tlie  first  resurrection — making  oblations  tor  him  on  tlie  anni- 
versaries of  his  death,  which,  if  you  neglect,  it  may  be  truly  said  of  you,  that, 
as  far  as  in  you  lies,  you  have  repudiated  your  husband." 

And  addressing  widowers,  he  says,  exhortatio  ad  castitatem, 

cap.  ix,  * 

"  Reflect  for  whose  soul  you  pray — for  whom  you  make  annual  oblations. 
Pro  cujus  spiritu  postules — pro  qua  oblationes  annuas  reddas." 

The  holy  Father  and  Martyr,  Cyprian,  who  lived  in  the  2d 
century,  says, 

"  Our  predecessors  prudently  advised,  that  no  brother  departing  this  life 
should  nominate  any  cimrchnian  his  executor ;  and  should  he  do  it,  that  no 
oblation  should  be  made  for  him,  nor  sacrifice  offered  for  his  repose — of  wliich 
we  have  had  a  late  example,  when  no  oblation  was  made,  nor  prayer  in  hi* 
name  ofliered  in  the  church." — Epist.  i,  p.  2. 

And  again — "It  is  one  thing  to  be  a  petitioner  for  pardon,  and  another  to 
arrive  at  glory;  one  to  be  cast  into  prison  and  not  to  go  out  from  thence  till 
the  last  farthmg  be  paid,  and  another  to  receive  at  once  the  reward  of  faith 
and  virtue ;  one,  in  punishment  of  sin,  to  be  purified  by  long  suffering,  and 
purged  long  by  fire — and  another  to  have  expiated  all  sins  by  (previous) 
suffering ;  one,  in  fine,  at  the  day  of  judgment,  to  wait  the  sentence  of  the 
Lord ;  another  to  receive  an  immediate  crown  from  hira." — Epist.  cv,  p.  10& 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORT. 

Origen  (Homily  6.  in  Exod.  tome  ii,  p.  148),  says, 


111 


V 


He  that  18  saved  13  saved  hy  fire ;  so  that  if  he  has  in  him  any  thing  of 
the  nature  of  lead  that  the  fire  may  purge,  and  reduce  it  till  the  mass  become 
pure  gold,  dm  salvus  fit  per  ignem  salvus  fit  ut  id  ignis  decoquat,  et  resolvat 
i-or  the  gold  of  that  land  which  the  saints  are  to  inhabit  ie  said  to  be  pure, 
and  as    the  furnace  trieth  gold,  so  doth  tempta^tion  try  the  just.'— Ecclea! 

/^  i^^T"^'.^.*'^"/'.'.  ^°'"^  ***  ^'"^  P""""'*  ''o'"  t''«  Lord  sits  as  a  refiner, 
(ivial.  m,  3,)  and  he  shall  purify  the  sons  of  Levi.'  But  when  we  shall  arrive 
at  that  place  who  shall  brmg  many  good  works,  and  little  that  is  evil;  this 
evil  the  hre  shall  purify  as  it  does  lead,  and  the  whole  shall  become  pure  gold. 
He  that  takes  with  hmi  more  of  lead,  suffers  the  fire  more,  that  he  may  be 
refined,  and  what  little  there  is  of  gold,  after  the  purification,  remains.  But 
Should  the  whole  mass  be  lead,  that  man  must  experience  what  is  written: 
^the  sea  covered  them ;  they  sank  as  lead  in  the  mighty  waters.'— Exod.  xv 
lU.  Sin  in  Its  nature  is  like  to  that  matter  which  fire  consumes,  and  which 
the  Apostle  says  IS  built  up  by  sinners,  who  upon  the  foundation  of  Christ 
bui  d  wood,  hay,  ajid  stubble.'— 1  Cor.  iii,  12.  Which  words  manifestly  show, 
that  there  are  some  sins  so  li^ht  as  to  be  compared  to  stubble ;  to  which 
When  hre  is  set  it  cannot  dwell  long— oui  utique  ignis  illatus  diu  non  potest 
immorari;  that  there  are  others  like  to  hay,  which  the  fire  easily  consumes, 
but  a  little  more  slowly  than  it  does  stubble;  and  others  resemble  wood,  in 
which,  according  to  the  degree  of  criminality,  the  fire  finds  an  abundant 
substance  on  which  to  feed.  Thus  each  crime,  in  proportion  to  its  character, 
experiences  a  just  degree  of  punishment 

"When  we  depart  this  life,  if  we  take  with  us  virtues  or  vices,  shall  we 
receive  rewards  for  our  virtues,  and  those  trespasses  be  forgiven  to  us  which 
we  knowingly  committed ;  or  shall  we  be  punished  for  our  faults  and  not 
receive  the  rewards  of  our  virtues  ?  Neither  is  true :  because  we  shall  suffer 
lor  our  sins,  and  receive  the  rewards  of  our  good  actions.  For  if  on  the 
foundation  of  Chnst  you  shall  have  built  not  only  gold  and  silver,  and  precious 
stones,  but  also  wood,  and  hay,  and  stubble,  what  do  you  expect,  when  the 
same  shall  be  separated  from  the  body  ?  Would  you  enter  into  heaven  with 
your  wood,  and  hay,  and  stubble,  to  defile  the  kingdom  of  God ;  or,  on 
account  of  those  incumbrances,  receive  no  reward  for  your  gold  and  silver 
and  precious  stones?  Neither  is  this  just.  It  remains,  then,  that  you  be 
committed  to  the  fire,  which  shall  consume  the  light  materials ;  for  our  God, 
to  those  who  can  comprehend  heavenly  things,  is  called  a  cotwming  fire. 
but  this  fire  consumes  not  the  creature,  but  what  the  creature  has  himself 
built— wood,  and  hay,  and  stubble,  ftst,  therefore,  we  suffer  on  account  of 
onr  transgressions,  and  then  we  receive  our  reward."— Homilv.  xvi  in 
Jerome,  torn.  iii.  ■' '       * 

I  have  here  thirty-five  quotations  from  Origen,  all  to  the  same 
effect,  and  in  every  one  of  which  he  alludes  to  the  text  of  St. 
Paul  relative  to  the  hay,  wood,  and  stubble,  and  the  consequent 
purgation  by  fire. 

Eusebius  of  Coesarea,  who  belonged  to  the  Greek  churdh, 
describing  the  funeral  of  the  emperor  Constantino  the  Great, 
thus  writes — 

p  !!}^  ^^D  '"*""®''  *^'<^  Constantius  perform  the  last  duties  in  honour  of  his 
father.     But  when  he  had  departed  with  his  guards,  the  ministers  of  God. 

"■"";"••.••• J  '•••  '■■"it'iuuc  ui  ixii;  laiitiiui,  anvancea  into  tne  iniadie  space, 

and  with  prayers  performed  the  ceremonies  cf  divine  worship :  the  blessed 
prince,  reposmg  m  his  coffin,  was  extolled  with  manyjaraises;  when  the 
people  in  concert  with  the  priests,  not  without  sighs  and  teaflY  offered  prayer* 
to  heaven  for  lus  soul ;  in  this  manifesting  the  most  acceptable  service  to  a 


113 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORY. 


religious  pnnce.  God  thus  gave  him  a  place  near  the  bodies  of  the  holy 
Apostles,  m  order  that  he  may  enjoy  their  blessed  fellowship,  and  in  their 
temple  be  associated  with  the  people  of  God.  He  would  thus  also  be  admitted 
to  a  participation  in  the  religious  rites,  the  mystic  sacrifice,  and  holy  suffrages 
of  the  faithful."— Do  Vita  Constant  Lib.  xi. 

Arnobius,  the  master  of  lioctantius,  and  rhetorician  at  Sicca,  in 

Numidia,  who  lived  about  the  end  of  the  3rd  century,  thus  writes : 

"Why  were  the  oratories  (of  the  Christians)  destined  to  savage  destruction, 
wherein  prayers  are  offered  up  to  the  sovereijzn  God  ;  peace  and  pardon  are 
implored  for  all  men,  magistrates,  soldiers,  kmgs,  friends,  and  enemies,  Fon 

THOSE  WHO  ARE  ALIVE,  AND  FOR  THOSE  WHO  HAVE  QUITTED  THEIR  BODIES  7" 

St.  Basil, 

"  The  words  of  Isaiah, '  Through  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  is  the  land  burned,' 
(ix,  19,)  declare,  that  things  which  are  earthly  shall  be  made  the  food  of  a 
punishing  fire  to  the  end,  that  the  same  may  receive  favour  ond  be  benefitted.* 
'  And  the  people  shall  be  as  fuel  of  the  fire.' — (Ibid.)  This»is  not  a  threat  of 
extermination,  but  it  denotes  expHrgation,  according  to  the  expression  of  the 
apostle ;  '  If  any  man's  works  burn,  he  shall  suffer  loss ;  but  he  himself 
shall  be  saved,  yet  so  as  by  fire.' — (1  Cor.  iii,  15.) — Com.  cap.  ix,  Isaiah, 
Tome  i,  p.  554. 

" '  Ann  the  light  of  Israel  shall  be  for  a  fire.' — (Isaiah  x,  17.)  The  operative 
powers  of  fire  are  chief|y  two — it  enlightens  and  it  bums.  The  first  is  cheerful 
and  pleasant — the  second  bitter  and  aiHicting.  The  prophet  adds, 'and  he 
■hall  sanctify  him  in  a  holy  fire,  and  consume  the  glory  of  his  forest  as  grass.' 
He  here  shows  the  nature  of  the  fire — it  enlightens  and  purifies.  But  how 
does  this  tire  purify,  if  it  consumes  7  Truly,  since  our  God  is  called  'a  con-, 
suming  fire,'  he  will  consume  the  wood,  and  what  vices  arise  from  matter 
which  adheres  to  the  soul  in  the  flesh,  not  in  the  spirit.  And  when  the  fire 
shall  have  consumed  all  the  wood  of  sin,  as  it  does  grass,  then  that  matter 
being  destroyed,  which  woe  fuel  to  the  chastising  fire,  the  prophet  says, 
'  The  burnt  mountains  shall  repose,  and  the  hills,  and  the  thicK  forests,  and 
the  consuming  fire  shall  cease  that  fed  upon  them.' " — Ibid.  p.  563. 

I  do  not  envy  Mr.  Pope,  if  he  deem  his  private  judgment 
superior  to  the  texts  which  I  have  quoted,  and  to  the  judgnient 
of  the  holy  Fathers  for  five  hundred  years.  I  defy  him  to  answer 
the  following  syllogistic  argument : — Either  the  Fathers,  at  the 
period  when  they  wrote,  published  that  which  was  the  established 
belief  of  the  Catholic  church,  or  they  did  not?  If  they  did 
publish  what  was  the  doctrine  in  their  time,  then  such  doctrine 
must  have  been  true,  since  the  church  is  acknowledged  on  all 
hands  to  have  been  pure  in  the  primitive  ages  of  Christianity  1 
If  the  Fathers  published  that  which  was  not  the  established 
doctrine  of  the  church,  why  did  not  the  pure  church  protest,  and 
not  sanction  error  by  her  silence  ;  and  why  did  not  the  heretics 
protest,  against  whom  those  doctrines  were  advanced  ? 


Mr.  Pope  rose  and  said, — My  learned  adversary  commenced 
his  observations  bv  nddressin."'  himself  to  our  ft^arS:  lie  sr>ok6 
of  the  dreadful  idea  of  being  hurried  instantaneously,  either  into 
the  presence  of  Infinite  Holiness,  or  into  the  regions  of  eternal 
wo.  In  order  to  alleviateihose  fears,  he  proposes  to  us  the  fire  ol 


roR 


THE    DOCTIIINE    OF    PURGATORY.  US 

pur^tory ;  of  that  purga.,»ry,  i„  which  the  church  of  Rome  tells 

ye;  s     ZViend  h"'^  T  ^^'^^^  ^°^  '"^^  ^^an  a  thou  ^Id 
years.     JVly  friend  has  adverted  to  the  questions  which  he  nrZ 

posed  yesterday.     As  my  answers  are  already  bef..7e  the  uublir 

who  can  dec.de  whether  they  are  satisfactor/  I  shlll  not 'follow 

Mr.  Magmre  through  his  devious  ramblings.     I  shall  merdv 

observe,  that  he  has  this  morning  brought  forward  seve  aUr.7 

ti^^es  How  r  m"'"  M^  '^'  inspiration  of  the  saired^sS 
lures.  How  did  Mr.  Maguire  act  yesterday?  Instead  «f 
coming  m  a  manly  manner  it  the  real  qLtionX  confined  me 
to  an  extreme  case.  He  asked  me,  by  what  mode  I  coiw 
convince  an  ignorant  man  that  the  Bible  is  the  word  of  God  ? 
In  reply.  I  enquired  by  what  arguments  he  could  convince  hm 
You  have  heard  the  answers  of  both.  I  remarked  ^0  1^* 
monstmtmg  to  the  illiterate  man,  that  the  scri^urt  wer^  Ji^^^^^^^^ 

tself  to  Tc'cnr-'^*"  '^'t'''''''  evidenceUich  comn     "d 
useit  to  the  conscience,  as  hav  ng  the  imoress  of  divin,.  tr,.fU 
engraven  upon  it.     I  again  ask,d^  not  ^nTagu  re  ""wd  t 
myse  f  appeal  to  the  private  judgment  of  the  individual  ?     Mr 
Maguire  would  refer  to  the  universal  consent  of  mankind  'I 

rtus  universal  consent  exists  in  support  of  the  sacred  volume    ^' 
must  he  not  wade  through  the  many  tomes  of  the  Fathers  ?     I 
therefore,  aga.n  submit,  upon  whosi  part  the  greater  difficulty 
exists,  m  convincing  the  illiterate  person  that  the  Bible  is  divine  ? 
^U  T  «*^°^^»^^^-hiIe  the  eternal  punishment  of    „i?or 
given,  Its  temporal  punishment  may  remain,  my  friend  has  referred 
us  to  the  cases  of  Adam  and  David.     I  readily  St,  thitwl  He 

L  °n  //iSir  f  T  °'  ^'^  P^^P'^' ""'  f-quenUy  chasten: 
them  mthts  h/e,  when  they  act  inconsistently  with  their  profes- 
sion, and  cause  the  adversary  to  blaspheme:     The  Lord  Taysi 

«uff..,faithful„essVf:Sr-Pst  ^^^  ^'""' - 

he  reTei^es'^-H^t  xVS"'  "'*''"  ''  '^^"'  '^"'^  «=«"'Ses  every  «on  whom 
But  I  would  ask,  because  God,  in  his  infinite  wisdom  «ees  fit 

/l^^dot  C'fac^r  'T  ''"''*^^'^"  *^^-  with  tHTlsir^'^ 
n.r^r.  II  !  f  /"'"'^^  ""^y  •■«^^<*"  ^or  supp(,sing,  that  the 
Deity  w.  extend  that  punishment  into  another  u'orld /Vno 
means ;  there  is  not  the  slightest  ground  in  scripture  for  ^ 

^S  nh''*'^''^l'"  «\"»-«^%  of  fhe  character  o  God. %^ 
Iriend  observes,  that  the  chumh  «r  R«^.  i /  ,  ;;      ,  !.  " 

states  thl  1  A  P"'"S^^?'-y-  Cardinal  Bellarmine,  however, 
states,  that  the  damned,  and  the  souls  in  purgatory  are  tormented 

10* 


114 


THE    DOCTRINE    OP    PURGATORY. 


in  the  snme  fire,  and  yet  Mr.  Maguire  has  informed  us,  thatthe 
doctrine  of  purgatory  is  a  most  comfortable  doctrin*^ ! !  The 
Reverend  Gentleman  has  quoted  the  fifth  of  Matthew  and  26th 
verse.  It  certainly  appears  to  me  strange,  that  a  doctrme  of 
such  importance  should,  in  the  very  first  instance  be  made  to  rest 
upon  a  parable,  the  very  explanation  of  which,  as  given  by  Mr. 
Muguire  himself,  proves  that  it  is  parabolic.  I  shall  now  examme 
it,  and  set  before  you  its  true  meaning.     The  passage  runs  thus, 

"Make  an  agreement  with  thy  adversary  quickly,  whilst  thou  art  in  the 
way  with  him,  Test  perhaps  the  adversary  deliver  thee  to  the  judge,  and  the 
judge  deliver  thee  to  the  otficer,  and  thou  be  cast  mto  prison.  Anien,  1  say 
untS  thee,  thou  shall  not  go  out  from  thence,  till  thou  pay  the  last  farthmg. 

I  argue  thus ;  if  the  uttermost  farthing  be  paid,  then  are  the  sine 
of  the  individual  not  ;?arrfoncrf,-  for  where  the  uttermost  farthing 
is  paid,  there  can  be  no  pardon  wanting;  and  on  the  contrary, 
if  the  sins  are  pardoned,  then  is  the  uttermost  farthing  not  paid. 

My  friend  talks  of  the  honesty  of  his  views  and  intentions, 
and  of  his  candour  in  giving  his  opinions :  I  trust,  that  I  can 
appeal  with  equal  confidence  to  the  integrity  of  mtj  conduct. 
My  view  of  the  passage  before  us  is,  that  the  punishment,  of 
which  our  Saviour  speaks,  is  eternal  in  its  duration.     The  Re- 
deemer appears  desirous  of  showing  in  the  parable,  that  there 
can  be  no  hope  of  escape  from  that  place,  which  he  designates 
"  prison,"  to  that  individual  who  dies  in  the  rejection  of  the 
gospel.     Several  considerations  are  fitted  to  show  us,  that^  the 
punishment  of  which  the  Saviour  speaks,  is  everlasting.     The 
glory  of  God  is  infinite  ;  our  debt,  if  not  remitted,  infinite ;  the 
sinfulness  of  sin,  infinite.     Even  according  to  the  standard  of 
this  world,  an  offence  is  considered  to  rise  in  magnitude,  m 
proportion  to  the  dignity  of  the  individual  against  whom  it  is 
committed ;  a  libel  upon  the  character  of  a  private  person,  is 
treason  when  committed  against  a  sovereign.     The  God  against 
whom  we  have  rebelled,  is  King  of  Kings,  and  Lord  of  Lords ; 
our  sins,  therefore,  being  committed  against  infinite  Majesty, 
unless  blotted  out  in  the  atoning  blood  of  Jesus,  must  for  ever 
remain  against  us,  and  call  down  an  interminable  retribution. 
I  shall  quote  a  passage  from  a  note  in  the  Douay  Bible,  which 
fully  justifies  the  view  that  I  have  taken  of  the  expression,  "tt»<t/ 
thou  hast  paid,"  tuAicA  implies  thai  it  shall  never  be  paid.     The  . 
comment  is  on  Matt,  i,  25. 

« '  Till  she  brought  forth  her  first-born  son.'— From  these  words,  Helvidius 
and  others  heretics  most  hnpiously  inferred,  that  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  had 
other  children  besides  Christ.  But  St  Jerome  shows,  by  divers  examples, 
that  this  expression  of  the  Evangelist  was  a  manner  of  speaking  usual  among 

*u-  TT_jj J.„  tQ  ^«r.nfo  h"  th^  wrifH  iintU-  otilv  wkot  w  uonc,  wttmntt  anti  «• 

gZdZ  Ihe^futureT'fhui  it  "is  said.  Gen.'  viii,'6,  7,  That  JVooA  sent  forth  « 
roeen,  \ehich  went  forth,  and  did  not  return,  until  the  toaters  were  drted  upon 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  PURGATORY.         115 

the  earth;  ihm  is,  did  not  return  anymore.     Also,  in  Isaiah,  xlvi,  4,  God 

"T' ,  T,  '"'^"'f  ^°'°  '^'^■'  ^^''"  ^'''^  •"*«'■'  ^hat  God  should  then  cease 
to  be  /  Also,  in  t\u:  first  book  of  Maccabees,  verso  51 :  Mnrf  they  went  up 
to  Mount  bion,  tri.n  ,oy  and  gladnes.i,  and  offered  holocanxta,  because  not  one  of 
them  was  slain,  tUl  they  had  returned  in  peace:  That  is,  not  one  was  slain 
before  or  after  they  had  returned.  God  saith  to  his  divine  Son,  •  Sit  on  mu 
nght  hand,  till  /  make  thy  enemies  thyfotstooU  Shall  he  sit  no  longer  after 
his  enemies  are  subdued  ?     Yea,  and  for  all  eternity ! !"  ° 

Mr.  Maguire  referred  to  the  passage  in  Matt,  xii,  32. 

"Whosoever  shall  speak  a  word  against  the  Son  of  Man,  it  shall  be  for. 
given  him;  but  he  that  shall  speak  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  shall  not  be 
forgiven  him,  neither  in  this  world,  nor  in  the  world  to  come." 

Now,  I  beg  to  observe,  that  the  phrase,  "  this  world,"  and 
"  the  world  to  come,"  was  current  among  the  Jews,  and  denoted 
time  in  general.  The  Redeemer,  I  maintain,  signified  thereby, 
that  the  sm  should  never  be  forgiven.  We  should  compare 
scripture  with  scripture,  spiritual  things  with  spiritual  things,  one 
passage  with  another.  Thus  in  Mark  iii,  29,  and  Luke  xii,  10, 
we  find  the  correspondent  passages  thus  expressed  : 

"But  he  that  shall  blaspheme  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  shall  never  have 
forgiveness,  but  shall  be  guilty  of  an  everlasting  sin.  And  whosoever  speak- 
eth  a  word  against  the  Son  of  Man,  it  shall  be  forgiven  him;  but  to  him  that 
shall  blaspheme  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  shall  not  be  forgiven." 

The  Jews  expected  under  the  Messiah  a  fuller  dispensation  of 
pardon  than  under  the  Mosaic  economy.  Our  Lord  here  informs 
them  of  a  sin,  which,  even^under  the  privileges  of  the  Christian 
dispensations,  (see  Heb.  x,  28,  29,)  is  evidently,  according  to 
the  text,  unpardonable.  The  church  of  Rome  has  made  an 
unhappy  distinction  between  the  greatness  of  one  sin  and  another 
in  the  sight  of  God.  It  should  be  remembered,  that  "  he  who 
offendeth  in  one  point,"  is  stated  by  St.  James,  "  to  be  guiltv 
of  all." — xi,  10.  ^      ^ 

Mr.  Maguire  has  observed,  that  nothing  unclean  entereth  into 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Granted ;  but  I  maintain,  that  the  true 
purgatory  is  the  fountain  which  has  been  opened  for  sin  and  for 
uncleanness,  in  the  atoning  blood  of  Jesus.  My  opponent  has 
referred  to  the  third  chapter  of  the  first  Corinthians.  We  can 
without  difficulty  prove,  that  this  passage  does  not  support 
purgatory.  When  it  is  said,  that  "  the  fire  shall  try  every  man's 
work  ;"  it  is  manifest  that  the  fire  is  probatory,  and  not  purga- 
tonal.  There  is  not  a  being  in  existence  who  does  not  commit 
those  sins,  for  which,  according  to  Mr.  Maguire,  men  must  go 
through  the  fire  of  purgatory.  Again— it  is  said, 
"Every^  man's  work  shall  be  made  manifest  of  what  sort  it  is." 

Whence  it  is  evident,  that  thfi  wnrks  nf  tho  frr^o'i  ^'^^  ^r«v,^ :• 

alike  must  endure  the  trying  process.     Does  not  this  fact  show, 
that  the  fire  is  a  fire  of  trial,  not  of  purgation. 


110  THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PUROATORT. 

Further — it  is  the  work^  the  doctrine  of  the  individual,  Mhich 
is  to  be  tried  in  this  fire,  und  not  his  soul.  The  minister  of  the 
gospel  is  not  to  add  to  its  fundamental  truths,  but  to  preach  it  in 
all  its  native  simplicity ;  while  the  man  who  corrupts  it  with 
false  ])hilosophy,  and  builds  upon  it  wood,  hay,  stubble,  if  he 
holds  the  head  Christ  Jesus,  will  be  saved,  yet  so  as  by  fire  ;  that 
is,  with  extreme  difficulty. 

My  friend  referred  to  the  first  of  Peter,  iii,  19,  20. 

"Christ  also  died  once  for  our  eins,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  that  he  might 
offer  us  to  God,  heing  put  to  death  indeed  in  the  flesh,  but  enlivened  in  th« 
spirit,  in  which  also  coming,  ho  preached  to  those  spirits  which  had  been 
some  time  incredulous,  when  they  awaited  for  the  patience  of  God,  in  the 
days  of  Noe,  when  the  ark  was  building,  wherein  a  few,  that  is  eight  souls, 
were  saved  by  water." — Douay  Bible. 

Mr.  Maguire  is  aware,  that  according  to  the  church  of  Rome, 
only  two  descriptions  of  persons  go  to  purgatory ;  those  who  die 
in  venial  sins,  or  those  who  die  absolved  from  the  guilt  of  mortal 
sin.  In  Roman  Catholic  catechisms,  mortal  sins  are  enumerated. 
The  character  of  those  persons  who  perished  in  the  flood,  as 
described  in  the  book  of  Genesis,  proves  that  they  died  in 
mortal  sin : 

"God  seeing  that  the  wickedness  of  men  was  great  on  the  earth,  and  thai 
all  the  thoughts  of  their  hearts  were  bent  upon  evil  at  all  times,  it  repented 
him  that  he  had  made  man  on  the  earth." — vi,  5. 

Again: — "The  earth  was  corrupted  before  God,  and  was  filled  with  ini- 
quity, and  when  God  had  seen  that  the  earth  was  corrupted,  for  all  flesh  had 
corrupted  its  way  upon  the  earth,  he  said  to  Noe,  '  The  end  of  all  flesh  is 
come  before  me ;  the  earth  is  filled  with  iniquity  through  them,  and  I  will 
destroy  them  with  the  earth.' " — 11,  12,  13,  and  14  verses. 

My  opponent  cannot  say  that  they  received  absolution ;  they 
despised  Noah,  a  preacher  of  righteousness,  and  were  over- 
whelmed in  the  flood,  the  guilt  of  mortal  sin  being  fixed  upon 
their  heads. 

Mr.  Maguire  says,  Christ  went  and  released  those  people  out 
of  prison.  Look  to  the  text.  Did  we  even  suppose  that  the 
passage  referred  to  purgatory;  it  is  merely  said,  that  He  preached 
to  the  spirits,  but  there  is  no  mention  whatsoever  made  of  their 
having  been  delivered.  My  view  of  the  passage  Jb  this  :  Christ 
was  raised  from  the  dead  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  in 
which  spirit  he  preached  to  the  Antediluvians ;  to  the  spirits 
ev  (poXaHi  "  in  prison ;"  (not  lohich  were  in  prison,  as  the  Douay 
Bible  renders  tho  expression,)  either  in  the  spiritual  prison  ot 
ungodliness,  when  Noah  preached,  or  else  in  the  prison  of  hell, 
when  Peter  wrote.  Clri^  hrough  the  instrumentality  of  Noah, 
preached  before  the  :Jo-h  The  Holy  Spirit,  though  not  so 
abundantly  vouchsafed  rill  ite  Christian  dispensation,  ^as  always 
with  the  church  of  God.  The  view  of  the  passage  entertained  by 
an  authority  which  Mr.  Maguire  respects,  coincides  with  mine 


THE  DOCTRINE 


or  PURGATORr. 


117 


The  venerable  Bede,  who  lived  more  than  one  thousand  yeara 
ago,  gives  us  the  opinion  of  an  early  Father,  perhaps  Athanasius, 
on  this  portion  of  scripture. 

"He  wl»o  in  our  time?,  coming  in  the  Heah,  preachod  the  way  of  life  to  ll.« 
world,  even  He  himself  also  camo  before  the  nood.aiiil  |>renched  to  thf-m  who 
were  then  unbelieving,  and  lived  carnally  ;  for  even  he,  by  his  Holy  Spirit- 
was  in  Noah,  and  in  the  rest  of  the  holy  men  which  were  at  that  time,  and 
by  their  good  conversation  preached  to  the  wicked  men  of  that  a-^e,  that  they 
might  be  converted  to  better  manners."— Ful.  in  Loco.  sec.  ii,  p.  806. 

My  friend  refers  to  the  second  of  Maccabees  twelfth  chapter. 
I  have  already  shown  that  this  book  is  not  canonical.  I  shall 
again  refer  t^  the  fom  te.  nth  chapter,  4lHt  and  42d,  verse  in  which 
it  will  be  stLii,  tlmt  suicide  is  commended. 

"  Now ,  as  the  ni...lilude  sought  to  rush  into  the  house,  and  to  break  open 
the  door,  aid  set  fire  to  it,  when  he  was  ready  to  bo  taken,  he  struck  himself 
"    k  d  "  '         '^"''^^'"g  '°  ''»«  »obly,  rather  than  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 

Is  the  eulogy  of  such  conduct  in  consistency  with  the  spirit 
and  precepts  of  the  word  of  God  ?  Consult  another  of  the 
Apocryphal  books,  and  you  will  find  one  Apocryphal  book  con- 
tradicting another.  In  the  third  chapter  of  Wisdom  1st  to  4th 
Terses,  we  read, — 

"But  the  souls  of  the  just  are  in  the  hands  of  God,  and  the  torment  of  death 
shall  not  touch  them ;  and  their  departure  was  taken  for  misery,  and  their 
going  away  from  us  for  utter  destruction  ;  but  they  die  in  peace.  And  thou«^h 
m  the  sight  of  men  they  suffered  torments,  their  hope  is  full  of  immortality!" 

Would  the  writer  of  the  book  of  Wisdom  have  intimated,  that 
their  death  wa^/alsely  taken  for  misery,  if  they  must  first  pass 
through  the  torments  of  a  purgatory?  Would  he  have  said,  that 
they  are  in  peace  ?  Here  is  Wisdom  against  the  second  book  of 
Maccabees.  I  would  ask,  did  the  individuals  mentioned  in  the 
twelfth  of  Maccabees,  for  whom  prayers  were  made,  die  in 
mortal  sin  1  I  hope  that  my  friend  allows,  that  idolatry  is  a 
mortal  sin ;  they  were  guilty  of  it. 

"They  found  under  the  coats  of  the  slain,  some  of  the  donaries  of  the  idols 
of  Jamnia,  which  the  law  forbiddeth  to  the  Jews,  so  that  all  plainly  saw,  that 
for  th)  .  crrse  tiiey  were  slain." — 40. 

Thus,  regarding  the  Apocrypha,  merely  as  an  historical  rela- 
tion, and  meeting  my  learned  antagonist  on  this  ground,  as  they 
contain  palpable  contradictions,  why  should  they  be  made  the 
foundation  for  even  an  historical  truth.  I  must,  however,  advert 
to  other  matters.  I  am  ready  to  prove  the  genuineness,  authcn- 
ticity,  and  canonicity  of  the  scriptures,  if  the  question  be  pro- 
posed to  me  in  a  manner  becominsr  a  scholar :  but  I  have  been 
shut  up,  as  is  evident,  to  an  extreme  case,  that  of  the  poor 
ignorant  peasant.      My  friend  has  quoted  largely  from   the 


ns 


TyE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORY. 


Fathers.  I  beg  to  remark,  that  M.  Trevern,  lately  promoted 
from  the  bishopric  of  Aire  to  that  of  Strasburgh,  (I  need  not 
add,  a  Roman  Catholic  divine)  honestly  admits,  that  Jesus 
Christ  has  communicated  no  revelation  to  us  concerning  purga- 
tory, and  observes — 

"Had  it  been  necessary  for  us  to  be  instructed  in  such  questions,  Jesug 
would  doubtless  reveal  the  knowledge  of  thetn  ;  he  has  not  done  so;  we 
can;  therefore,  only  form  conjectures  on  the  subject,  more  or  less  probable.  - 
Discuss.  Amic.  Vol.  ii,  p.  242.  -  .    :    ^i 

The  celebrated  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  FLsher  inform  us, 
that— 

"In  the  ancient  Fathers,  there  is  either  none  at  all,  orrery  rare  mention 
cf  a  purgatory:  that  by  the  Grecians  it  is  not  believed  to  this  day:  that  the 
Latins,  not  all  at  once,  but  bv  little  and  little,  received  it,  "  pedetentim,"  step 
by  step  ;  and  that  purgatoribeing  so  lately  known,  it  is  not  to  be  marvelled, 
that  in  the  first  times  of  the  church  there  was  710  use  of  Indulgences,  seeing 
these  had  their  beginning,  after  that  inejv  for  a  while  had  been  affnglited  xcilh 
the  torments  of  purgatory."— Roffens  Assert.  Lutheran  Confutat.  Artie.  18. 

Cardinal  Cajetan  observes — 

"If  we  could  have  any  cc>-ta:rty  concerning  the  oj-igin  of  indulgences,  it 
would  help  us  much  in  the  disquisition  of  the  truth  of  purgatory;  but  WB 

HAVE   NOT    BY  WRITING  ANY  AUTHORITY,  EITHER  OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES, 
OR  ANCIENT  DOCTORS,  GREEK  OR  LATIN,  WHICH  AFFORDS  US  ANY  KNOWLEDGE 

THEREOF."— Cap.  2,  de  Indulg. 

And  Alphonsus  de  Castro  writes, 

"  Many  things  arfe  known  to  us,  of  which  the  ancients  were  altogether  igiio- 
rant,  as  purgatory,  indidgences,''  ,^-c,~Adv.  Hceor.  L.  12,  Tit.  Purg.  f  258. 

We  have  Cyprian,  Tertnllian,  and  various  other  quotations 
from  the  Fathers,  overturning  those  which  have  been  adduced 
by  my  friend,  did  time  permit  me  to  repeat  them.  But  I  would 
briefly  ask,  why  did  Polycarp  specially  treat  on  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead,  and  yet  wholly  omit  the  doctrine  of  purgatory  1 
(Epist.  ad  Philip.  §  11,  v,  ii.)  Why  did  Ignatius  assert,  that 
only  two  states  in  the  future  world,  a  state  of  death,  and  a  staie 
of  life,  are  set  before  us  ;  so  that  every  one  who  dies,  goes  to 
his  own  proper  place  ;  and  why  did  he  not  make  the  slightest 
allusion  to  a  purgatory,  if  he  believed  in  it  ?— (Ep.  ad  Magnes. 
6  V.)  Why  did  Athenagaras  write  a  treatise  on  the  Resurrec- 
tion of  the  Dead,  and  yet  make  no  mention  of  purgatory  ?— De 
Resurr.  Mort.  in  Oper.  pp.  143—219.     Cyprian  says— 

"When  once  we  have  departed  hence,  there  is  no  longer  any  place  for 
repentance— no  longer  any  effectiveness  of  salisfactix)n.  Here  life  is  either  lost 
or  held  •  here  we  may  provide  for  our  eternal  salvation  by  the  worship  of  God 
and  the  fruitfiilncss  of  faith.  Let  not  any  one  be  retarded,  either  by  sins  or 
by  Icni^th  of  years,  from  attaining  to  saivHlion.  *  ,.^  ,  ^T^•  •  '  •  * 
To  him  who  believes,  a  salutary  indulgence  is  granted  from  the  Divme  pity ; 
and  immediately  after  death  he  passes  to  a  blessed  immortality."— Cyitimi  ad 
Deinetrian,  p.  196. 


jromoted 
need  not 
at  Jesus 
ig  purga- 

ions,  Jesua 
N  E  so  ;  we 
obable.     - 

iform  us. 


ire  mention 
/:  that  the 
ntim,"  step 
marvelled, 
ices,  seeing 
ighled  with 
!\.rtic.  18. 


ulgences,  it 
ry ;  but  we 

^RIPTURES, 
KNOWLEDGE 


gether  igi>o- 
irg.  f.  258. 

quotations 
I  adduced 
it  I  would 
surrection 
urgatory  1 
Lssert,  that 
ind  a  stale 
s,  goes  to 
e  slightest 
1  Magnes. 
Resurrec- 
ory  1 — De 
■s — 

iny  place  for 
is  either  lost 
)rshipof  God 
er  by  sins  or 

Divine  pity ; 
-Cyprian  ad 


THE  DOCTRINE  07    PURGATORY. 


119 


TertuUian  counts  it  injurious  to  Christ  to  hold  that  such  as 
are  called  home  by  him,  are  in  a  state  to  befitted.     He  says,— 

"  We  wrong  Christ,  when  we  do  not  with  equanimity  hear  of  those  who  are 
wimraoned  hence  by  him,  as  if  they  were  to  be  pitied,"— Lib.  de  Patient,  c.  9. 

Mr.  Maguire — You  will  easily  perceive,  gentlemen,  that 
this  is  an  important  discussion.     My  adversary  has  endeavoured 

explain  away  some  of  the  texts— I  shall  only  remark, 'that 
with  regard  to  these  texts,  he  may  have  his  private  judgment, 
and  I  have  mine.  There  are  two  or  three  which  we  never  shall 
give  up— in  respect  to  the  others,  we  shall  not  relinquish  the 
doctrine  of  the  church  for  the  first  ages,  and  adopt  the  opinion 
of  Mr.  Pope.  He  says,  that  a  man  will  be  detained  in  purga- 
tory for  one  thousand  years— that  is  not  the  doctrine  of  the 
Catholic  church,  and  I  never  said  it  was— it  is  absurd  in  this 
manner  to  meet  direct  arguments  by  unfounded  suppositions. 
The  church  has  pronounced  no  decision  as  to  the  length  of  time 
that  souls  may  bo  detained  in  purgatory.  If  a  soul  reniain  there 
but  for  two  minutes,  the  doctrine  is  as  fully  established,  as  if  it 
remained  there  for  two  thousand  years.  My  arguments  are 
founded  upon  scripture  and  reason,  and  upon  the  authority  of 
t'he  universal  church. 

Mr.  Pope  has  asserted,  that  a  Roman  Catholic,  In  making  an 
act  of  faith,  builds  it  upon  private  judgment.— The  Catholic  has 
only  to  exercise  his  privaie  judgmen.  upon  the  scriptural  proofs 
of  the  authority  of  the  church.     That  once  established,  the 
Catholic  is  enabled  to  make  an  act  of  faith  upon  Divine  authority 
— the  Protestant  never  can  make  an  act  of  faith  until  he  clears 
up  all  the  sophistries  and  cavillings  of  the  deists.     The  Catholic 
once  admitting  the  authority  of  the  church,  rests  satisfied— he 
laughs  to  scorn  the  objections  of  the  infidel,  and  founds  his  faith 
upon  the  immoveable  word  of  Christ.     We  exercise  our  private 
judgment  to  ascertain  the  authority  of  the  church.     But  the 
moment  we  have  that  fact  satisfactorily  established,  all  our  doubts 
and  difficulties  vanish.     Mr.  Pope  then,  all  this  while  has  been 
building  castles  in  the  air,  and  conjuring  up  the  phantoms  of  his 
own  imagination,  for  the  mere  purpose  of  laying  them  again. 
Similar  arguments,  to  those  which  he  has  advanced,  were  u*rged 
by  Porphyry,  and  Julian  the  apostate— by  Rousseau,  Diderot, 
and  Voltaire,  who  set  their  own  private  judgments  against  the 
authority  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  some  of  whom,  c»n  their 
death-beds,  sought  to  be  reconciled  to  her  communion.     Mr. 
Pope  has  enlarged  upon  the  wonderful  blessing  of  being  justified 
through  the  nients  of  Chiist.     I  trust,  that  1  am  a  Christian  from 
conviction,  and  although  the  profession  of  it  is  not  as  frequently 
on  my  lips  as  on  those  of  others,  I  hope  to  be  justified  through 


120 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORY, 


■  1 


the  merils  of  Christ.  I  allow  no  merits  but  his.  He  is  the 
source  aud  fountain  of  nil  merit.  That  is  the  doctrine  of  the 
Catholic  Chuich,  and  it  is  a  point  of  our  doctrine,  regarding 
which  Protestants  are  much  misinformed.  We  do  admit,  that 
the  saints  can  beseech  Christ,  and  interfere  by  their  prayers  in 
our  behalf— but  we  deny  that  they  have  any  merits  of  their  own 
— they  have  none,  except  through  the  Redeemer,  Jesus  Christ — 
he  is  the  Divinity — the  spring — the  source  whence  every  thing 
must  come.  It  was  through  his  infinite  merits  he  saved  the  world. 
Does  Mr.  Pope,  in  the  hearing  of  bishops,  dare  to  stay  the 
arm  of  divine  and  omnipotent  mercy,  in  his  explanation  of  the 
sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost  1  Are  we  not  told,  that  whoever 
invokes  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved  1  Is  it  impossible 
that  a  man  who  has  committed  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost, 
who  has  denied  the  known  truth,  may  not,  after  the  revolution  of 
sixty  years,  suppose,  repent  sincerely  of  his  sins,  obtain  the  par- 
don of  a  merciful  God,  and  be  saved  ?  Shall  it  be  said,  that  the 
gates  of  heaven  would  be  closed  against  a  truly  repentant  sinner? 
Tertullian  was  condemned  for  asserting,  that  the  church  had  not 
the  power  to  absolve  from  the  sin  of  apostacy,  and  from  the  sin 
against  the  Holy  Ghost.  Tertullian  was  excluded  from  the 
Catholic  church  in  the  second  century,  because  he  promulgated 
such  a  doctrine.  Mr.  Pope  says,  that  by  paying  the  last  far- 
thing, is  meant  paying  in  this  world. 

[Mr.  Pope.— What  I  stated  was,  that  if  sins  be  forgiven  in 
purgatory,  the  uttermost  farthing  cannot  be  paid  there — if  the 
uttermost  farthing  hepaidj  sins  cannot  he  forgiven  in  purgatory.] 

Mr.  Maguire. — You  evidently  say  that  the  payment  of  the 
uttermost  farthing  is  confined  to  this  world.  By  what  right  can 
you  deny  that  it  may  not  also  be  paid  in  purgatory  ?  If  it  be 
paid  in  purgatory,  then  sins  are  forgiven  there.  If  it  be  paid  in 
this  world,  then  souls  go  direct  to  heaven,  which  I  never  denied. 
The  necessity  of  purgatory  to  all,  forms  no  portion  of  the  belief 
of  the  Catholic  church.  Thousands  may  go  to  heaven  \yithout 
going  through  purgatory.  But  if  a  man  should  die  in  venial  sin, 
God  is  too  merciful  to  consign  his  soul  to  eternal  damnation. 
He  will  purity  him,  and  take  him  to  himself.  God,  in  his  mercy 
•vill  listen  to  the  prayers  of  the  faithful  on  earth,  for  those  who 
are  placed  in  such  circumstances.  The  Catholic  church,  there- 
fore, receives  the  article  of  the  communion  of  saints.  I  shall 
not  attempt  to  force  it  upon  Protestants — but  let  them  look  to 
and  examine  it  in  the  creed. 

My  learned  friend,  Mr.  Pope,  has  frequently  referred  to  the 
merits  of  Christ's  blood.     No  one  is  more  ready  to  plead  the 


THE    DOCTRINE    OP    PURGATORY. 


121 


le  is  the 
ne  of  the 
regarding 
dniit,  that 
rayers  in 
their  own 
Christ— 
ery  thing 
he  world. 

stay  the 
on  of  the 

whoever 
npossible 
\y  Ghost, 
olution  of 
1  the  par- 
1,  that  the 
at  sinner? 
h  had  not 
m  the  sin 
from  the 
mulgated 

last  far- 


rgtven  m 
e — if  the 
irgatory.] 

nt  of  the 

right  can 

If  it  be 

36  paid  in 

er  denied. 

the  belief 

n  without 

i^enial  sin, 

amnation. 

his  mercy 

hose  who 

ch, there- 

I  shall 

em  look  io 

ed  to  the 
plead  the 


efficacy  of  the  Redeemer's  blood  than  I  am  ;  but,  instead  of 
introjlucing  its  glorious  merits  every  moment  in  a  public  discus- 
sion, I  reserve  it  for  more  solemn  occasions.  When  I  behold 
a  sinner  afraid  to  pray,  I  draw  his  attention  to  the  infinite  mercy 
of  God  ;  and  when  the  unfortunate  man,  overwhelmed  with  the 
weight  of  his  sins,  is  on  the  point  of  sinking  into  despair,  I 
awaken  his  hopes,  and  arouse  him  to  a  sense  of  his  duty,  by 
pointing  to  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  shed  for  the  redemption  of 
man.  Mr.  Pope  says,  that  the  fire  mentioned  in  scripture  is 
merely  probationary.  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know  in  that  case  what 
our  Divine  Lord  meant  by  casting  into  prison  until  the  uttermost 
farthing  should  be  paid,  which  had  not  been  remitted  "  while  in 
the  way,"  that  is,  in  this  life,  but  which  should  be  discharged 
"  in  the  prison,"  that  is,  in  the  next  life.  A  confusion  of  ideas 
seemed  to  pervade  the  mind  of  my  friend  while  addressing  him- 
self to  this  point.  To  the  man  who  sincerely  seeks  the  truth, 
the  grace  of  God  is  given  to  guide  and  to  direct  him.  But  the 
influence  of  grace  would  not  have  led  my  friend  into  the 
erroneous  interpretation  which  he  endeavoured  to  affix  to  this 
passage  of  the  scriptures. 

Mr.  Pope  has  stated  correctly  the  doctrine  of  the  Catholic 
church,  with  respect  to  the  persons  who  go  to  purgatory. 
The  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  church  is  this  : — A  man  who  has 
committed  sin,  but  who  has  received  absolution — whose  heart  is 
penetrated  with  a  sincere  contrition  for  his  sins — who  lias  firmly 
determined  never  more  to  offend,  and  is  resolved  to  make  resti- 
tution to  God  and  to  his  neighbor, — such  a  man  may  go  to 
heaven  directly  after  his  death.  But  those  who  have  altogether 
wasted  'their  time  here — who  have  neglected  to  perform  the 
necessary  duties  in  the  way  of  co-operation  for  the  pardon  which 
they  have  obtained  through  the  merits  of  Christ — must  be  purified 
in  a  third  place  before  they  can  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
Mr.  Pope  has  said,  that  Christ  preached  to  those  who  were  in 
prison,  but  did  not  release  them.  I  have  heard  the  assertion 
with  astonishment.  Surely,  if  Christ  went  to  preach,  he  would 
not  lose  the  effect  of  his  mission.  Christ  went  to  announce  to 
the  spirits  in  prison  the  glad  tidings  of  redemption,  to  make 
known  to  them  his  victory  over  sin  and  death,  and  to  bring  them 
with  him  to  that  paradise  which  he  had  promised  to  the  thief 
upon  the  cross.  Where  Christ  is,  there  is  paradise.  The  prison 
was  paradise  while  Christ  was  there.  With  regard  to  the  private 
opinions  of  theologians,  which  Mr.  Pope  has  cited  as  making 
against  purgatory---even  if  they  did  so,  (and  I  trust  his  quota- 
tions are  not  uniairly  taken)  I  shall  merely  say,  that  i  am  now 
stating  the  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  church.  Mr.  Pope  has 
quoted  the  book  of  Wisdom,  as  if  it  contradicted  the  book  of 

\\ 


132  THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORY. 

Maccabees.  I  shall  just  read  to  you  the  entire  passage  referred 
to,  and  you  will  judge  whether  it  is  at  all  contradictory  to  the 
book  of  Maccabees : 

"But  the  souls  of  the  just  are  in  the  hand  of  God,  and  the  torment  of  death 
shall  not  touch  them.  In  the  sight  of  the  unwise  they  seemed  to  die,  and 
their  departure  was  talien  for  misery,  and  their  going  away  for  utter  destruc- 
tion ;  but  they  are  in  peace.  And  though  in  the  sight  of  men  they  sutTcred 
torments,  their  hope  is  full  of  immortality." — iii,  1—4. 

Here  the  book  of  Wisdom  merely  states  that  the  souls  of  the 
just  go  to  glory — and  so  they  shall.  Does  that  contradict  the 
doctrine  of  purgatory  ]  Thousands  may  go  to  heaven  without 
going  to  purgatory — and  those  who  go  there,  are  only  on  their 
passage  to  salvation — so  there  is  here  no  contradiction  whatever. 

Mr.  Pope  has  quoted  a  passage  from  the  2d  book  of  Macca- 
bees, as  if  it  sanctioned  murder.  It  merely  eulogizes  the  soldiers 
who  died  bravely  in  the  defence  of  their  country.  Is  it  murder 
the  writer  recommends,  when  he  praises  Judas  for  fighting 
nobly?  With  regard  to  what  Mr.  Pope  said  respecting  the 
idols  ;  I  grant  that  those  who  were  slain  had  committed  mortal 
sin,  but  was  it  impossible  for  them  to  make  an  act  of  sincere 
contrition  before  they  expired,  or  in  the  paroxysms  of  death,  to 
look  to  the  blood  of  the  long  expected  Jesus  1  Was  it  not  lawful 
on  that  supposition,  for  Judas  Maccabeus,  who  was  a  charitable 
man,  to  offer  up  prayers  for  their  repose  1  Granting  that  ef 
third  place  did  exist,  was  his  conduct  inconsistent  with  that 
doctrine  ?  It  is  quite  impossible  for  Mr.  Pope  to  prove  that  the 
book  of  Maccabees  is  not  canonical.  He  has  quoted  Bishop 
Fisher  against  me  ;  It  would  indeed  appear  extraordinary  if 
Bishop  Fisher,  who  died  a  martyr  for  the  Catholic  religion — who 
was  put  to  death  by  Henry  VIII,  along  with  the  chancellor,  Sii 
Thomas  Moore,  because  he  would  not  deny  the  Pope's  supre- 
macy— should  state  what  was  contrary  to  the  universally  acknow- 
ledged doctrine  of  the  church.  I  shall  not  follow  the  example 
of  Mr.  Pope,  and  volunteer  unmanly  allusions  to  the  established 
church  of  England.  I  am  not  leagued  with  those  pretended 
friends  who  conspire  her  overthrow.  I  would  not  conspire  to 
destroy  even  the  temporalities  of  that  church.  In  her  spiritual 
and  apostolic  claims,  she  comes  nearest  to  our  own. 

Mr.  Pope  has  asked  me,  why  did  not  Polycarp,  who  was  one 
of  the  early  Fathers,  speak  of  purgatory  1  This  is  a  curious 
negative  argument.  I  might  as  well  conclude,  that  because  a 
certain  historian  has  not  mentioned  a  certain  fact,  therefore  it 
never  occurred — though  vouched  for  by  several  other  credible 

anA    rtnr\iannnr\farxr  nort-olrvro  T^npro     la     nn    m<infir\n     maAix     Km 

any  early  historians  (the  Christian  writers  excepted)  of  the 
miracles  of  Christ,  unless  in  one  passage  in  Josephus.     Thai 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PUJlOATORT. 


123 


referred 
xy  to  the 

it  of  death 
to  die,  and 
3r  destriic- 
;y  suffered 

Is  of  the 
idict  the 

without 

on  their 
'hatever. 
'  Macca- 
I  soldiers 
t  murder 

fighting 
iting  the 
d  mortal 
*  sincere 
death,  to 
ot  lawful 
haritable 
g  that  ef 
vith  that 
I  that  the 
1  Bishop 
dinary  if 
3n — who 
ellor,  Sii 
's  supre- 
acknow- 
example 
tablished 
retended 
ispire  to 

spiritual 

was  one 
L  curious 
ecause  a 
3refore  it 

credible 

)  of  the 
3.     Thai 


passage  has  been  exploded  by  critics  as  not  authentic  ; — am  I, 
then,  from  such  premises,  to  conclude  that  these  miracles  never 
were  performed  I 

I  shall  now  read  to  you  the  passages  from  the  Fathers,  in 
reference  to  the  doctrine  which  forms  the  subject  of  discussion 
this  day. 

Tertullian  says 

"  We  have  oblations  for  the  dead  in  the  anniversary  day." 

And  to  widowers  he  writes, 

"  Reflect  for  whose  soul  you  pray — for  whom  you  make  annual  oblations." 

St.  Ephrem  of  Edessa,  in  a  work  entitled  his  Testament, 
thus  proceeds  : 

"  My  brethren  come  to  me,  and  prepare  me  for  my  departure,  for  my 
strength  is  wholly  gone.  Go  alon<»  with  me  in  psahns,  and  in  your  prayers ; 
and  please  constantly  to  make  oblations  for  ne  [upoafopai.)  When  the 
thirtieth  day  shall  be  completed  then  remember  me;  for  the  dead  are 
HELPED  BT  THE  OFFERINGS  OF  THE  LiviNO.  Now  listen  with  patience  to 
what  I  sliall  mention  frgm  the  Scriptures.  Moses  bestowed  blessino;s  on 
Reuben  after  the  third  generation. — (Deut.  xxxiii,  6.)  But  if  the  dead  are 
not  aided,  why  was  he  blessed  ?  Again,  if  they  be  insensible,  hear  what  the 
Apostle  says,  '  If  the  dead  rise  not  again  at  all,  why  are  they  then  baptized 
for  them.'— (1  Cor.  xv,  29.)  If,  also,  the  sons  of  Mathias  {2d  Mace,  xii,) 
who  celebrated  their  feasts  in  figure  only,  could  cleanse  those  from  guilt,  by 
their  offerings  who  fell  in  battle,  how  much  more  so  shall  the  priests  of  Christ 
aid  the  dead  by  their  oblations  and  prayers." — In  Testament  tome  iii,  p. 
294,  Edit.  Vossll.  p.  371,  Edit.  Oxonii. 

St.  Cyril,  of  Jerusalem: 

"  Then  (during  service)  we  pray  for  the  holy  Fathers  and  bishops  that  are 
dead ;  and  in  short  for  all  those  who  are  departed  this  life,  in  our  commxtnion, 
believing  that  their  souls  receive  very  great  relief  by  the  prayers  that  are  ofler- 
ed  for  them,  while  the  holy  and  tremenduous  victim  lies  upon  the  altar.  This 
we  will  shew  you  by  an  example.  Fori  know  there  are  many  who  say, 
'What  good  can  it  do  a  soul  which  is  departed  out  of  this  life,  whether  with 
sins  or  without  them,  to  be  remembered  in  this  sacrifice?'  But  tell  me,  I 
pray  you,  if  a  king  had  sent  into  banishment  some  persons  that  had  offended 
him,  and  their  friends  should  present  him  with  a  crown  ot  immense  price,  to 
appease  his  anger,  might  not  the  king  on  that  account,  shew  some  favor  to 
the  guilty  persons?  So  do  we  address  our  prayers  to  God  for  those  that  are 
dead,  though  they  were  sinners ;  not  by  presenting  to  him  a  crown,  but  by 
offering  up  to  him  Christ,  who  was  sacrificed  for  our  sins,  that  so  he,  who  is 
BO  merciful  and  good,  may  become  gracious  to  them  as  well  as  to  us." — Mysti- 
gog.  Cat.  pp.  297,  298. 

The  fourth  council  of  Carthage,  canon  79,  tome  ii,  p.  1206. 
Abo,  the  29th  canon  of  the  preceding  council  of  Carthage,  ibi- 
dem, p.  1171  : 

"Penitents  who  have  carefully  submitted  to  the  laws  of  the  heads  of  the 
church,  should  they  accidentally  die  on  the  road,  or  by  sea,  where  no  assis* 
tance  could  be  given,  should  be  remembered  in  the  prayers  and  offerings  of  tht 

St.  Gregory  of  Nysa,  (Orat.  pro  defunctis.   T.  ii,  p.  1066 
7,  8.)  says — 


124 


THE    DOCTRINE    OP    PURGATORY. 


"In  order  that  a  man  might  be  left  to  the  dignity  of  free  will,  and  evil  at 
the  same  time  be  taken  from  him,  Divine  will  thus  devised  :  He  allows  him  to 
remain  subject  to  what  himself  hao  chosen,  that  havinijr  tasted  of  the  evil  which 
he  desired,  and  learned  by  experience  how  bad  an  exchange  has  been  made, 
be  might  again  feel  an  ardent  wish  to  lay  down  the  load  of  those  vices  and 
inainations  which  are  contrary  to  reason ;  and  thus,  in  this  life  being  renova- 
ted by  prayers  and  the  pursuit  of  wisdom,  or  in  the  next  being  expiated  by 
the  purging  fiie,  he  might  recover  the  slate  of  happiness  which  he  had  lost 
Man,  otherwise,  must  incline  to  that  side  to  which  his  passions  tend.  But 
when  he  has  quitted  his  body,  and  the  difference  between  virtue  and  vice  is 
known,  he  cannot  be  admitted  to  approach  the  Divinity  till  the  purging  fire 
shall  have  expiated  the  stains  with  which  his  soul  was  mfected.  That  same 
fire  in  others  will  cancel  the  corruption  of  matter  and  the  propensity  to  evil." 

St.  Ambrose  having,  in  the  preceding  part  of  the  chapter, 
spoken  of  the  effect  of  penal  fire  on  what  the  Apostle  calls  silver 
and  gold,  and  hay  and  stubble,  thus  concludes : 

"  *  We  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ,  that  every  one 
may  receive  the  proper  things  of  the  body,  according  as  he  hath  done,  whether 
it  be  good,  or  whether  it  be  evil.'— (2  Cor.  v.  10.)  Take  care  that  you  carry 
not  with  you  to  the  judgment  of  God,  either  wood  or  stubble  which  the  fire  may 
consume.  Take  care  lest,  having  one  of  the  things  that  may  be  approved, 
you  at  the  same  time  have  iriuch  that  may  give  offence.  '  If  any  man's  works 
burn  he  shall  suffer  loss  ;  but  he  himself  shall  be  saved,  yet  so  as  by  fire.' 
(1  Cor.  iii.  15.)  Whence  it  may  be  collected,  that  the  same  man  is  saved  in 
part,  and  condemned  in  part,  {salvalur  ex  parte,  et  condemnalur  ex  parte.) 
Concious,  therefore,  that  there  are  many  judgments,  let  us  examine  all  our 
actions.  In  a  man  that  is  iust  loss  is  suffered  ;  grievous  is  the  burning  of  the 
same  work :  in  the  wicked  man,  wretched  is  the  punishment." — Sermon  9.0, 
on  Psalm  cxviii,  t.  2. 

And  in  his  comment  on  the  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians— 

"  'If  any  man's  work  burn,  he  shall  suffer  loss.'  False  doctrine,  which 
•hall  perish,  is  the  work  that  is  said  to  hum,  for  all  bad  things  must  perish. 
To  suffer  loss  is  to  suffer  pain.  And  who  that  is  in  pain  does"not  suffer  loss  ? 
But  *  he  shall  be  saved,  yet  so  as  by  fire.'  He  will  be  saved,  the  Apostle  tells 
us,  because  his  substance  shall  remain,  whilst  his  bad  doctrine  shall  perish. 
Therefore  he  said,  '  yet  so  as  by  fire,' — in  order  that  his  salvalianbe  nolunder' 
Hood  to  be  toilhout  pain.  He  shows  that  he  shall  be  saved  indeed,  but  that  he 
shall  undergo  the  pain  of  fire,  and  be  thus  purified  ;  not  like  the  unbelieving 
and  wicked  man,  who  shall  be  punished  in  everlasting  fire." 

In  Obitu  Valentini — he  says,  in  an  apostrophe  to  the  departed 
emperor, 

"Blessed  shall  you  be  if  my  prayers  can  avail  any  thing.  No  day  shall 
pass  in  which  I  will  not  make  honorable  mention  of  you ;  no  night,  in  which 
you  shall  not  partake  of  my  prayers.  In  all  my  oblations  I  will  remembei 
you." 

And  for  the  emperor  Theodosius,  deceased,  having  made  a 
solemn  prayer,  he  thus  proceeds  : — 

"  I  loved  him,  therefore  will  I  follow  him  to  the  land  of  the  living.  I  will 
not  leave  him  till  by  my  prayers  and  lamentations  he  shall  be  admitted  to  the 
iioiy  niuunt  ol  the  i_.ord,  to  which  his  deserts  call  him.  Da  requiem  perfectam 
servo  tuo  Theodosio." — Grant,  O  Lord,  perfect  repose  to  tliy  servant  Theo. 
dosius." 


THE  DOCTRINE  OP  PURGATORY. 


125 


Mr.  Pope  rose. — I  shall  endeavor  rapidly  to  follow  my  Rever- 
end antagonist  through  his  observations.  I  shall  prove  upon  his 
own  showing,  that  some  souls  were  confined  one  thousand  years 
in  purgatory ;  for  if  those  who  had  been  overwhelmed  in  the 
flood,  were  in  the  prison  of  purgatory  when  Christ  died,  he  will 
admit,  that  the  flood  was  somewhat  more  than  one  thousand  years 
before  the  death  of  Christ.  (Mr.  Maguire  here  observed,  that 
they  did  not  go  at  all  to  purgatory.)  With  respect  to  exercising 
an  act  of  faith,  how  can  any  one  exercise  it  on  the  authority  of 
the  church  of  Rome,  without  examining  the  proofs  of  that  autho- 
rity ?  The  church  of  Rome,  we  are  informed,  builds  her  autho- 
rity upon  historical,  that  is,  human  testimony.  This  is  somewhat 
like  building  castles  in  the  air.  My  Reverend  friend  has  stated, 
that  there  are  no  merits  but  the  merits  of  Christ.  But,  what  says 
the  council  of  Trent  ? 

"  If  any  one  shall  say,  that  the  good  works  of  a  justified  person  aresothe 
gifts  of  God,  that  they  are  not  also  the  the  merits  of  the  justified  himself;  or 
that  the  justified  person,  by  the  ^ood  works  which,  through  the  grace  of  God 
and  the  merit  of  Jesus  Christ,  ol  wliom  he  is  a  hving  member,  are  performed 
by  him,  does  not  truly  deserve  an  increase  of  grace,  eternal  hfe,and  the  attain- 
ment of  eternal  life  itself,  (if  he  shall  depart  m  grace)  and  also  an  increase  of 
glory,  let  him  be  accursed."— (Seas,  vi,  cap.  xvi,  can.  32.) 

What  does  the  doctrine  of  supererogation  mean,  if  there  be 
no  other  merits  but  the  merits  of  Christ  1     As  to  the  sin  against 
the  Holy  Ghost,  the  adorable  Saviour  (not  1)  has  said,  that  it  is 
unpardonable  ;  far  be  it  from  me,  to  limit  the  mercy  of  God ;  as 
far  as  my  humble  efforts  reach,  I  would,  if  possible,  preach  the 
gospel  to  the  whole  world,  publishing  free  pardon  through  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb.     My  friend  has  asked,  whether  the  payment 
of  the  uttermost  farthing  refers  to  earth,  or  to  a  future  state. 
The  Saviour  in  St.  Matt,  is  exhorting  us  to  be  reconciled  on  tht 
imij,  that  is,  in  this  world.     I  admit,  therefore,  at  once  that  "  the 
uttermost  farthing"  refers  to  the  future  state  ;  but  I  have  shown, 
that  the  passage  speaks  of  everlasting  punishment.  With  respect 
to  the  1st  of  Corinthians  and  3d  chap.  ;  I  have  already  proved 
that  the  fire  is  probatory  not  purgatorial,  and  that  it  is  to  try  all  ; 
therefore,  the  Apostle  does  not  speak  of  purgatory.     My  friend 
has  stated,  that  the  mission  of  Christ  to  the  spirits  in  prison, 
could  not  have  been  ineffectual.  I  take  him  upon  his  own  ground ; 
I  ask,  did  not  Christ  of\en  preach,  without  any  fruit  resulting 
from  his  labours  ?     How  few  were  actually  converted  by  the  per- 
sonal ministry  of  Christ.    The  death  of  Christ  was  retrospective 
as  well  as  prospective.    Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  his  day.    Many 
through  the  vista  of  distant  ages,  beheld  the  rising  of  the  star  of 
Jacob,  by  faith  discerned  the  manifestation  of  the  Son  of  God, 
about  to  offer  an  atonement  for  the  sins  of  a  ruined  world.     My 
friend  has  said,  where  Christ  is,  there  is  paradise.     Did  Christ, 

11* 


126 


THE  DOCTRINE  OP  PURGATORY. 


in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  the  penitent  thief  say,  "  Yes,  I  uill 
remeipber  thee  ;  I  will  go  to  purgatory  for  a  few  moments,  but 
shall  leave  thee  there,  to  purge  away  thy  sins."  'Tis  true,  where 
Christ  is,  there  is  happiness,  but  in  heaven  happiness  supreme  : 
there  the  Redeemer  shines  forth  in  all  the  eflulgence  of  his  per- 
sonal glories.  I  have  shown  that  the  book  of  Wisdom  is  against 
the  second  book  of  Maccabees.  He  says,  that  the  writer  of 
Maccabees  commended  bravery — "  He  struck  himself  with  his 
sword,"  is  the  expression — I  ask,  was  this  dying  nobly  ?  The 
commendation  is  not  that  of  bravery,  but  of  suicide.  (Mr.  Ma- 
guire  here  requested  Mr.  Pope  to  read  the  passage.  Mr.  Pope 
complied) : 

"  Now  aa  the  multitude  sought  to  rush  into  his  house,  and  to  break,  open 
the  door,  and  to  set  Bre  to  it,  wnen  he  was  ready  to  be  taken,  he  struck  him 
self  with  his  sword,  choosing  rather  to  die  nobly,"  &c,  &c. 

My  friend  has  said,  that  the  idolaters  might  have  repented 
before  they  dier'  I  answer,  had  they  repented,  they  would  have 
thrown  their  idols  to  the  moles  and  to  the  bats  :  but  we  read, 
that  they  were  found  under  their  garments. — (2  Mace,  xii,  40.) 
My  opponent  has  Said,  that  Bishop  Fisher  was  a  martyr.  This 
circumstance,  I  should  have  thought,  would  have  given  greater 
weight  to  Bishop  Fisher's  authority,  concerning  the  novelty  of 
purgatory. 

My  adversary  has  objected  to  the  negative  proofs  from  Poly- 
carp  and  others,  as  if  I  brought  forward  no  direct  testimony. 
Hear  St.  Clement  Roraanus  : — 

"  When  once  we  shall  have  departed  this  life,  there  is  no  room  for  us  in 
another,  either  to  confess,  or  to  repent." — Ep.  ad.  Cor.  xi,  §  8. 

Cyprian : — 

"The  end  of  the  temporal  life  being  accomplished,  we  are  divided  into  the 
habitations,  either  of  everlasting  death  or  immortality." — Ad  Demetrian. 
sec.  16. 

The  author  of  the  Questions  and  Answers,  attributed  to  Justin 
Martyr,  writes  thus  : — 

"  After  the  departure  of  the  soul  out  of  the  body,  there  is  presently  made 
a  distinction  betwixt  the  just  and  the  unjust :  for  they  are  brous;ht  by  the 
angels  to  places  fit  for  them  :  the  souls  of  the  righteous  to  paraijise,  where 
they  have  the  commerce  and  sight  of  angels  and  archangels :  the  souls  of  the 
unjust  to  the  places  in  hell."—  Resp.  ad  Orthodox.  CluaBst.  75. 

Athanasius  says — 

«*  That  is  not  death  that  befalletli  the  righteous,  but  a  translation  :  for  they 
are  translated  out  of  this  world  into  everlasting  rest :  and  as  aman  would  go 
out  of  a  prison,  so  do  the  saints  go  out  of  this  troublesome  life,  unto  those 

J  *i.; Ai-_i I  r"-..  ;.! n      r\_  ■\r;__;_ 

guuu  iin:!gs  iiiui  aru  pruparcu  jur  uiciu. uc  t  'XqSh. 

Macarius  saith — 
*•  When  the  holy  servants  of  God  remove  out  of  their  body,  the  chorus  of 


THE     DOCTRINE    OP    PURGATORi;,  127 

tngela  receive  their  souls  into  their  own  side  into  the  purer  world,  and  so  bring 
them  unto  the  Lord." — CEgypt.  Horn.  22. 

Agnin — "  The  Lord  beholding  thy  mind  that  thou  fighte«t  and  lovest  him 
with  thy  whole  soul,  separates  deuth  from  thy  soul  in  one  hour,  for  this  is  not 
hard  for  him  to  do;  for  he  taketh  thee  uway  in  the  minute  of  an  hour,  and 
taketh  thee  into  his  own  bosom  and  unto  light,  for  he  pluckcth  thee  away 
from  t!ie  mouth  of  darkness,  and  presently  translates  thee  into  his  own  king- 
dom ;  for  God  can  easily  do  all  these  things  in  a  minute  of  an  hour — this 
provided  only  tliat  tliou  bearest  love  unto  him." — Horn.  36. 

I  need  not  referr  to  other  quotations.  Some  of  the  passages 
which  my  opponent  has  cited,  permit  me  to  say,  merely  speuk  of 
oblations  for  the  dead.  At  an  early  period  in  the  history  of  the 
church,  thanksgivings  were  offered  for  those  who  had  departed 
this  life  in  the  faith  and  patience  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  have  followed 
my  friend  through  some  of  his  ramblings.  He  talks  of  sophistry 
and  quibbling,  and  expresses  his  wish  to  come  to  strong  argu- 
ments. I  would  also  like  to  come  to  strong  argument.  You 
will  decide  whether  the  proofs  of  my  opponent  are  fitted  to  sup- 
port the  quaking  foundation  on  which  he  stands.  I  shall  now 
first  refer  to  presumptive  arguments  against  purgatory.  It  is  not 
probable  that  a  doctrine  which  makes  so  wide  a  distinction 
between  the  rich  and  the  poor,  should  have  come  from  that  God 
who  is  no  respecter  of  persons,  and  who  has  chosen  the  poor 
rich  in  faith,  and  heirs  of  the  kingdom.  This  doctrine  also  savors 
of  inhumanity.  I  would  assist,  as  far  as  my  ability  would  enable 
me,  my  humblest  neighbour,  in  rescuing  from  destruction  his  ox 
or  his  ass  ;  but  what  shall  we  say  of  a  system,  which,  believing 
that  masses  can  assist  souls  suffering  in  purgatory,  refuses  to 
offer  them,  until  the  ready  cash  is  paid  down  !  Again 
the  doctrine  of  purgatory,  viewed  in  the  light  of  holy  scripture, 
is  inconsistent  with  the  revealed  will  of  God.     St.  Paul  asks — 

"  He  that  spared  not  his  own  son,  but  delivered  him  up  for  ns  all,  how  shall 
he  not  with  him  also  freely  ^ve  his  people  all  things  ? — ^Rom.  viii,  32. 

"As  the  heaven  is  high  aoove  the  earth,  so  great  is  his  mercy  toward  them 
that  fear  him." 

"  He  knoweth  our  frame,  he  remembereth  that  we  are  but  dust :  like  as  a 
father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  him :  the  mercy 
of  the  Lord  is  from  everlasting  to  everlasting  upon  them  that  fear  him,  and 
his  righteousness  unto  children's  children."— Ps.  ciii,  11,  13,  14,  17. 

Judgment  he  calls  "  his  strange  work ;"  "  He  does  not  will- 
ingly afflict  the  children  of  men  ;"  (Lament,  iii,  33,)  and,  if  his 
people  are  called  to  taste  the  cup  of  sorrow,  he  sweetens  it  with 
many  a  consoling  ingredient  by  the  word  of  God,  and  teaching 
of  his  spirit.  God  loves  his  people  with  an  eternal  and  unchang- 
ing affection.  And  can  (  suppose,  that  He  who  for  their  sakes 
Brknrgn  not  his  co-sdual  Rfid  CQ-p,tf.f!\?^  -^o"  vi"  ~^cfinH!?n  tHenr* 
to  a  place  of  suffering,  when  they  shall  have  passed  through  the 
miseries  of  this  sinful  world  ?   Again,  this  doctrine  is  derogatory 


128 


THE    DOCTRINE     OP    PURGATORY. 


to  the  sacrifice  of  Christ.  If  it  be  a  fact,  that  the  one  oblation 
on  the  cross  is  all-sufficient ;  if  the  promise  of  the  nt  w  cove- 
nant runs  thii-^,  "  thy  sins  and  thine  iniquities  will  I  remember 
no  more,"  "  tlie  blood  of  Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin  ;"  if  it 
be  a  truth  that  God  "  will  not  give  his  glory  to  another,"  doe» 
not  the  doctrine  of  purgatory  derogate  from  the  sacrifice  of  Cal- 
vary?    Hear  the  council  of  Trent — 

"  If  any  shall  say,  that  after  the  grace  of  justification  has  been  received, 
the  offence  is  so  rennitted  to  the  penitent  sinner,  and  the  guilt  of  eternal  pun 
ishment  so  effaced,  that  there  remains  no  guilt  of  temporal  punishment  to  b» 
sufl'ered  either  in  this  world,  or  in  the  world  to  come  in  purgatory,  before 
admission  can  be  obtained  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  let  him  be  accursed.* 
Sess.  vi,  cap.  xvi,  can.  30. 

Oh,  my  friends,  what  blasphemy  is  such  language  against  that 
Redeemer  who  bowed  the  heavens  and  came  down  amongst  us — 
who  lifted  off  the  curse  of  heaven's  violated  law,  and  redeemed 
the  immortal  soul  by  his  own  blood  ! — David  says, 

"  As  far  as  the  eaet  is  from  the  west,  so  far  hath  he  removed  our  iniquities 
from  us :  who  forgiveth  all  thy  iniquities :  who  healeth  all  thy  diseases." — 
Psucii,  12,  13. 

In  Isaiah  wc  read, 

"I  am,  I  am  he,  that  blot  out  thy  iniquities  for  my  own  sake,  and  I  will 
not  remember  thy  sins." — xliii,  25. 

"I  will  forgive  their  iniquity,  and  I  will  remember  their  sin  no  more." 
Jer.  xxxi,  34. 

"Thou  shalt  sprinkle  me  with  hyssop,  and  I  shall  be  cleansed:  thou  shalt 
wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow." — Ps.  i,  ix. 

"  If  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  made  white  as  snow :  and  if  they 
be  red  as  crimson,  they  shall  be  white  as  wool." — Isaiah  i,  18. 

And   yet  the  believer,  according  to  the  church  of  Rome, 
requires  fiie  to  make  his  sins  whiter  than  snow ! 
Do  I  not  read,  Isaiah  xxxviii,  17, 

"But  thou  hast  delivered  my  soul  that  it  should  not  perish:  thou  hast  cast 
all  my  sins  behind  thy  back." 

Do  I  not  read,  John  i,  29, 

"Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  behold  him  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 
world." 

And  again,  1  John  i,  7, 

"  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  his  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin." 

And  at  the  9th  verse, 

"If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  for^ve  us  our  sins,  and 
to  cleanse  us  from  all  iniquity." 

In  Colossians  we  read 

•'  You,  when  you  were  dead  in  your  sins,  and  the  uncircumcision  of  your 
flesh,  he  hath  quickened  together  with  him ;  forgiving  you  dl  oflTences." — ii  14 

What  says  the  prophet  Micah,  vii,  19. 


THE    DOCrniNE    OF    PURGATOIir. 


129 


"  Ha  will  turn  again,  and  havo  mercy  on  iia :  ho  will  put  away  our  iniquU 
ties;  and  hn  wil,  rust  all  our  sins  into  tlio  boltom  ofthe  sea." 

We  read  that, 

"  Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  save  that  which  has  been  laid,  which  ia 
"  Christ  Jesus."— 1  Cor.  iii,  II, 

The  Apostle  Paul  speaks  of  confidence — 

"  Their  sins  and  ini(juities  will  I  remember  no  more  ;  now  where  remission 
of  these  is,  there  is  no  more  an  offering  for  sin." 

"  Having  therefore,  brethren,  boldness  to  enter  into  the  holiest  by  the  blood 
of  Jesus,  by  a  new  and  living  way  which  he  hath  consecrated  for  us  through 
the  vad,  tliat  is  to  say,  his  flesh,  and  having  an  high  priest  over  the  house  of 
God,  let  us  draw  near  with  a  true  heart,  in' full  assurance  of  faith,  havin«  our 
hearts  sj/rinkled  from  an  evil  conscience." — Heb.  x,  10,  22.  " 

Mr.  Maguire  would  be  justified  in  censuring  confidence,  if 
the  believer  placed  his  dependance  on  his  own  works  for  salva- 
tion :  but  confidence  is  warranted,  when  exclusively  built  upon 
the  foundation  laid  in  Zion,  the  obedience  unto  death  of  the 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.     St.  Paul  says — 

"  God  cominendeth  his  charity  towards  us,  because  when  as  yet  we  wore 
amners,  according  to  the  time,  Christ  died  for  us ;  nnieh  more  therefore,  bein" 
now  justified  by  his  blood,  shall  we  be  saved  from  wrath  through  him ;  for  i? 
when  we  were  enemies,  we  were  reconciled  to  God  by  tho  dearth  of  his  Son, 
much  more  being  reconciled  shall  we  be  saved  tiirough  his  life."— Rom. 
v,  8,  1 0. 

What  is  the  meaning  ofthe  Apostle's  argument? 

"If  when  wc  were  enemies  we  were  reconciled  to  God,  by  the  death  of  his 
Son,  much  more,  after  we  have  been  reconciled  shall  u-e  be  saved  by  his  life." 

I  would  argue,  that  if,  when  we  were  enemies,  God  reconciled 
us  to  himself,  surely  he  will  not  consign  the  sinner  to  such  a  place 
of  torment  as  purgatory,  after  he  has  become  his  adopted  child. 

"There  is  no  condemnation  to  them  tiiat  are  in  Christ  Jesus,"  (says  St 
Paul,  Rom.  viii,  1.) 

"  Amen,  Amen,  I  say  unto  you,  he  who  heareth  my  word,  and  believeth 
hmi  that  sent  me,  halh  life  everlasting,  and  cometh  not  into  judtTnent,  but  is 
fussed  from  death  to  life.— John,  v,  24. 

I  say,  if  there  be  no  condemnation  to  them  that  are  in  Christ 
Jesus,  surely  the  Deity,  who  is  infinite  in  justice,  would  not 
consign  the  believer,  against  whom  there  is  no  condemnation, 
to  the  tortures  of  purgatory.     St.  Paul  writes, 

"Who  shall  lay  any  thing  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect  ?  It  is  God  that  justi- 
neth.  Who  IS  he  that  condemneth  ?  It  is  Christ  that  died,  yea,  rather,  that 
IS  risen  again,  who  is  even  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  makefh  inter- 
cession for  us.  Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ  ?  Shall  tribu- 
laUon  or  distress,  or  perseculion,  or  famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or 
sword:  as  it  wrilten^^for^  thy  sake  we  are  killed  all  the  day  lor.g,  we  are 
accGtinted  as  sheep  forilic  slaughter;  nay,  in  ail  tiiese  things  we\re  j»ore 
than  conqueroi  s,  through  him  that  hath  loved  us.  For  I  am  persuaded,  that 
neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  thincrs 
present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature, 


m 


ISO 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PUROATORf. 


■hall  bo  able  to  upparato  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  oar 
Lord. — Rom.  viii,  33,  39. 

The  Douay  version  of  the  commencement  of  the  passage 
which  I  have  read,  is  absurd.  To  the  question,  "  Who  shall  ac  • 
cuse  against  the  elect  of  God  ?"  the  Douay  Bible  replies,  "  God 
that  justifieth :"  as  if  the  God  who  justifies,  was  the  accuser  of 
his  elect.  And  again,  to  the  question,  "  Who  is  he  that  shall  con- 
demn?" The  Douay  translation  answers,  "  Christ  Jesus  that 
died  :"  as  if  the  Saviour  condemned  his  people.  By  the  way, 
I  may  mention,  that  Griesbach  beautifully  elucidates  the  pas- 
sage, by  placing  a  mark  of  interrogation  after  the  expression 
"  God  that  justifieth,"  and  at  the  end  of  the  34th  verse ;  the 
meaning  of  the  passage  will  then  be— who  shall  lay  any  thing 
to  the  charge  of  God's  elect?  Shall  the  God  who  justifies  them, 
lay  any  thing  to  their  charge  ?  Who  is  he  that  shall  condemn  1 
Shall  Christ  condemn,  who  died,  and  having  been  exalted  to  the 
right  hand  of  the  everlasting  throne  intercedes  for  his  people  1 
I  say  with  Paul,  "  If  God  be  for  his  people,  who  shall  be  against 
them  ?"  If  God  acquits  them,  shall  the  church  of  Rome  condemn 
them  to  purgatoryl 

I  shall  fill  up  the  few  minutes  that  remain,  by  reading  to  you 
quotations  from  several  Roman  catholic  writers^  which  clearly 
show,  that  during  the  dark  ages  the  state  of  things  was  such, 
that  opinions  the  most  monstrous  could  with  facility  have  been 
introduced. 

A  bishop  of  the  church,  in  year  900,  thus  complains : 

"  So  great  folly  now  oppresseth  the  miserable  world,  that  at  this  day  more 
absurd  things  are  believed  by  Christians  than  ever  any  could  impose  upon 
the  blind  pagans."— Agoberd.  Epis.  Lug.  Lib.  de  Grandi,  &c. 

Sabellius  saith, 

"  It  is  wonderful  to  observe,  what  a  strange  forgctfulness  of  all  arts  did 
about  this  time  seize  upon  men,  insomuch  that  neither  the  Popes  nor  other 
princes  seemed  to  have  any  sense  or  apprehension  of  any  thing  that  might  be 
useful  to  human  life.  There  were  no  wholesome  laws,  no  reparations  of 
churches,  no  pursuit  of  liberal  arts ;  but  a  kind  of  stupidity,  and  madness, 
and  forffetfulness  of  manners  had  possessed  the  minds  of  men." 

And  a  little  after,— "I  cannot,"  says  he  "but  much  wonder  from  whence 
these  tragif.al  examples  of  the  Popes  should  spring,  and  how  their  minds 
should  come  to  be  so  devoid  of  all  piety,  as  neither  to  regard  the  person  which 
thsy  sustained,  nor  the  place  they  were  in.— Enead.  9,  Lib.  i,  900. 

Phil.  Burgomansis  says — 

"  It  happened  in  that  age,  through  the  slothfulness  of  men,  that  there  was  a 
general  decay  of  virtue,  both  in  the  head  and  in  the  members."— (Ann.  906.) 

I  wonder  who  the  Head  was  ?     And  again, 

/<mi         -  »: il — U  *U~-~K!i!nr>  anA  ornol  tumnnv  nf  tlio  PnnAB    vuorm 

"  1  IltJSt;  UIIICS,   llliuu;:tt  tuc  mm '<<.»•  fh  •- -_•  • ,•    — [ — --J    — •  = 

extremely  unhappy ;  for  the  Popes  setting  aside  the  fear  of  God  and  his  wor- 
ship, fell  into  such  enmities  among  themselves,  as  cruel  tyrants  exerciM 
.  towards  one  another." — (Ann.  908.) 


I 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  PURGArORT.  181 

And  Flatina,  their  own  writer,  in  his  History  of  the  Popes, 
gives  the  following  account  of  their  barbarities  to  their  prede- 
cessors, though  many  years  deceased. 

"These  Popes  minded  nothing  else  but  how  they  might  eitinguish  both 
the  name  and  dignity  of  their  preaecessors." 

Sigonius,  speaking  of  these  times,  about  the  commencement 
of  the  10th  century,  calls  them — 

"The  foulest  and  blackest,  both  in  respect  (otho  wickedness  of  the  princes 
and  madnrss  of  the  peopiu,  that  are  to  bo  found  in  all  antiquity." — Do  Rucn. 
lUKLib.  6.  ^  ^ 

Genebrard,  speaking  of  the  same  time,  observes, 

"This  is  railed  the  unhappy  age,  bring  destitute  of  men  eminent  for  wit 
and  learning  J  as  also  of  famous  princes  and  Popes.  In  this  time  there  was 
•carcc  any  thmg  done  worthy  to  bo  remembered  by  posterity." — Chron.  Lib.  4. 

Gerbert,  about  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh  century,  gives 
this  brief  character  of  the  Roman  Church,  in  his  Epist.  40, 

"The  world  stands  amazed  at  the  manners  of  Rome." 

Werner  gives  this  character  of  these  times  in  these  words : 

"  About  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand,  there  began  an  eflfeminate  time, 
in  which  the  Christian  faith  began  to  degenerate  exceedingly,  and  to  decline 
from  its  ancient  vigour ;  insomuch,  that  in  many  countries  of  Christendom, 
neitlier  sacraments,  nor  ecclesiastical  rites  were  observed ;  and  people  were 
given  to  soothsaying,  and  withcrads ;  and  the  priest  was  like  the  people."— 
Fac  Temporum. 

Strong  indeed  is  the  complaint  of  a  great  prelate.    He  says 


"In  the  west,  and  almost  all  the  world  over,  especially  among  those  who 
»re  called  the  faithful,  faith  failed,  and  there  was  no  fear  of  God  among  them. 
Justice  was  perished  from  among  men,  and  viol<!nce  prevailing  against  equity, 
governed  the  nations.  Fraud,  deceit  and  the  acts  of  cozenage  were  growa 
universal.  All  kind  of  virtue  gave  way  as  an  useless  thing  and  wickranese 
supplied  its  place.  The  world  seemed  to  be  declining  apace  towards  its  even* 
ing,  and  the  second  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  to  draw  near:  for  love  was 
grown  cold,  and  faith  was  not  found  on  earth.  Ail  things  were  in  confusion, 
and  the  world  looked  as  if  it  would  return  again  to  its  old  chaos.  All  sorts 
♦*  +  ♦***  were  committed  with  the  same  freedom  as  if  they  had 
been  lawful  actions ;  for  men  neither  blushed  at  them,  nor  were  punished 
for  them.  Nor  did  the  clergy  live  better  than  the  people ;  for  the  bishops 
were  ne2,ligent  of  the  duty  oAheir  place,  &c,  &c.  In  a  word,  men  run  them- 
selves headlong  into  all  vice,  and  all  flesh  had  corrupted  its  way." — Bell. 
Sacr.  Lib.  1,  cap.  18. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  in  the  dark  ages,  when  princes 
bowed  their  knee  to  the  Pope — did  any  improvement  afterwards 
takes  place? 

St.  Bernard  in  the  thirteenth  century,  complain  thus, 

"  We  cannot  now  say,  as  is  the  people,  so  is  the  priest ;  for  the  people  ar« 
not  so  bad  as  the  *^nests-"~"—In  Conv.  S5.  PaiiH.  Rer.  ! 

And  again,  "The  bishops  to  whom  the  church  of  God  is  now  committed, 
are  not  teachers  but  seducers,  not  pastors  but  impostors,  not  prelates  but 
Pilates." 


132 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORy. 


Mr.  Maguire— I  agree  probably  with  Mr.  Pope  in  a  gieat 
portion  of  what  he  has  quoted  from  Scripture.  When  Mr.  Pope 
talks  of  u  detention  for  one  thousand  years  in  purgatory,  and 
speaks  of  those  who  were  overwhelmed  by  the  deluge,  I  have 
only  to  say,  that  as  they  died  in  mortal  sin,  they  could  not  there- 
fore get  a'dmissior.  even  to  purgatory.  The  patriarchs  departed 
in  peace  with  God,  but  I  affirm  that  they  were  detained  in  prison 
until  our  Saviour  came  to  them  after  his  death,  to  announce  the 
glori6us  tidings  of  salvation.  For  no  man  could  enter  heaven 
unless  through  the  infinite  merits  of  Christ  crucified.  The  patri- 
archs remained  in  a  third  place  until  released  by  Christ.  This 
is  a  point  of  Catholic  doctrine.  The  onus  lies  on  Mr.  Pope  to 
show  that  that  third  place  has  ceased  to  exist. 

As  to  the  text  quoted  relative  to  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost, 
St.  Augustine,  St.  Cyprian,  and  a  variety  of  more  recent  com- 
mentators, declare  that  it  is  to  be  understood,  like  the  text  con- 
cerning the  rich  man,  not  of  an  absolute  impossibility,  but  of 
great,  perhaps  extreme  difficulty;  that  is,  the  grace  of  repentance 
must  come  from  the  Holy  Ghost.  Now  he  who  attributes  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  the  Devil,  cannot  receive  such  grace, 
therefore  his  salvation  must  be  a  matter  of  great,  of  rare  diffi 
cuUy — since  his  repentance  depends  upon  the  spirit  he  blas- 
phemes. But  if  the  heart  of  the  man  who  has  even  committed 
such  a  sin  shall,  in  the  course  of  time,  become  thoroughly 
changed — if  he  shall  sincerely  and  heartily  repent,  will  Mr.  Pope 
say  that  our  Saviour  M'ill  not  extend  forgiveness  to  that  man  ? 
That  is  the  opinion  of  some  Protestant  Divines  ;  but  it  never 
shall  be  mine.  I  said  that  there  was  no  pain  where  Christ  was. 
My  friend  retorted,  and  affirmed  that  wherever  Christ  was  pre- 
sent, there  were  heaven  and  happiness.  He  concluded  this 
portion  of  his  argment  with  an  appeal  to  the  feelings  of  the  meet- 
ing. I  shall  make  no  efforts  to  excite  your  feelings  or  to  bring 
into  play  your  prejudices  and  passions.  My  only  appeal  shall 
be  to  direct  and  positive  arguments. 

Mr.  Pope  referred  to  what  is  said  of  Nicanor  in  the  book  of 
Maccabees,  in  order  to  prove  that  that  book  was  not  canonical 
or  inspired.  Do  we  not  read  in  the  book  of  Judges  that  Jepthe, 
who  is  there  recorded  as  the  ruler  of  the  people  of  Goland — who 
is  spoken  of  as  a  valiant  man,  slew  his  own  daughter,  in  pursu- 
ance of  a  vow  made  to  God.  Are  we,  therefore,  to  reject  as 
uncanonical  the  book  in  which  this  is  recorded  ?  Do  we  not  read 
of  Moses  having  murdered  the  Egyptian — of  a  father  having 

ciiiiurcii   uy  iii3   Own   ht^/  uct.tigtjtv«.3.      .»!--   -i—   — --- 

those  facts  are  related  to  be  discarded  as  uncanonical  ? 

Did  Mr.  Pope  quote  any  passages  to  prove  that  the  righteous 
must  go  directly  to  heaven,  without  passing  through  purgatory? 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORY. 


13S 


If  the  just  man  fall  seven  times  a  day,  is  it  derogating  from  the 
merits  of  Christ  to  say,  that  that  man  must  sutler  for  a  time  in 
purgatory  ?  Did  not  our  Saviour  annex  conditions  to  our  obtain- 
ing salvation,  such  as  baptism, — without  which  the  atonement  on 
the  cross  cannot  be  applied  to  us  ?  Christ  will  not  redeem  ua 
unless  we  are  washed  in  the  waters  of  baptism.  Does  he  any 
where  say,  that  man  will  be  justified  by  faith  only,  without  baptism? 
With  regard  to  the  belief  of  the  Greek  church,  on  the  subject 
of  purgatory,  I  have  here  the  translation  of  Dupin's  Ecclesiasti- 
cal History,  by  a  Protestant,  and  from  it  I  shall  read  the  follow- 
ing passage : 

"  It  is  evident  from  some  very  ancient  records  of  the  church,  that  it  was  a 
custom  among  tlic  christians,  ab  antiqiio,  to  pray  for  the  souls  of  the  fuitljful 
departed,  in  tlie  dreadful  mysteries.  St.  Chrysostom  plainly  tells  ua,  that  it  was 
decreed  by  the  Apostles.  It  is  certain,  that  it  was  m  use  about  two  hundred 
years  after  Christ.  This  is  proved  from  TertuUian,  who  thus  speaks,  '  let  th« 
faithful  widow  pray  for  the  soul  of  her  husband.'  .  This  we  find  practised  63 
many  of  the  most  eminent  Fathers  of  the  church." 

I  have  already  proved  by  quotations  from  TertuUian,  St. 
Cyprian,  and  other  most  emment  Fathers,  that  during  the  first 
five  hundred  years  of  the  Christian  era,  it  v/as  the  |)ractice  of 
the  church  to  pray  for  the  dead.  And  I  have  shown  in  the 
foregoing  extract,  what  is  the  opinion  of  the  Greek  church. 
When  Claude,  the  Huguenot,  was  engaged  in  the  celebrated 
conference  with  Bossuet,  he  went  to  the  trouble  of  writing  to 
the  Greek  church,  in  order  to  ascertain  their  opinions  on  the 
doctrines  of  transubstantiation,  purgatory,  and  the  invocation  of 
saints.  A  council  of  the  Greek  church  was  assembled,  and  the 
bishops  who  attended  solemnly  decided,  that  they  held  the 
doctrine  of  the  real  presence  of  Christ  in  the  sacrament,  the 
doctrine  of  purgatory,  and  of  the  invocation  of  saints. 

With  respect  to  the  char^acter  of  the  Catholic  church,  the  fol- 
lowing passage  is  taken  from  the  works  of  the  celebrated  Dr. 
Jeremy  Taylor,  whose  orthodoxy  will  not  surely  be  questioned 
by  Mr.  Pope :  .  •'        ^ 

"There  are  many  considerations  in  the  Catholic  church,  which  may  retain 
persons  of  much  reason,  and  more  piety,  in  its  communion.  Tliey  know  it 
to  have  been  the  religion  of  their  foKcfathers,  which  had  possession  of  men's 
understandmgs  before  Picfestantism  had  a  name.  First,  its  doctrinal  had  a 
Ion"  contmuance  and  possession  of  the  church ;  which,  therefore,  cannot  be 
easily  supposed  in  the  present  possessors  to  be  a  dcsis^n,  since  they  have 
receiv.xl  it  from  so  many  ages.  Its  long  prescnption,  which  is  such  a  preju- 
dice,  as  cannot  with  many  arguments  be  retrenched,  as  rdyimr  upon  these 
giounds,  that  truth  is  more  ancient  than  falsehood  ;  that  God  would  not,  for 
so  many  ages,  forsake  his  church  and  leave  her  in  error.  Then  comes  flia 
splendour  and  beauty  of  that  church  •  its  "orrinntip.  ssrvico  ths^  ptat"Iine^~  and 
solemnity  of  its  hierarchy,  its  name  'Catholic,'  the  antiquity  of  its  doctrines, 
the  continual  succession  of  its  bishops,  and  their  immediate  derivation  from 
the  Apostles.  Add  to  tlKS  the  multitude  and  variety  of  people  which  are  of 
Its  oersuasion,  the  consent  of  elder  ages,  the  great  consent  of  one  part  Rrifk 

12 


134 


THE    DOCTRINIi    OF    PURGATORY. 


Ri  n 


another,  contrasted  with  the  great  differences  which  are  commenced  among 
their  adversaries.  To  this  again  add  its  happiness  in  being  the  instrument 
in  converting  divers  nations — the  j|)iety  and  austerity  of  its  religious  orders — 
the  single  lilc  of  its  priests  and  bishops — the  severity  of  its  fasts — the  great 
reputation  of  its  bishops  for  fai;h  and  sanctity — the  known  holiness  of  some 
of  its  religious  founders  of  orders — its  miracles — the  accidents  and  casualties 
which  have  happened  to  its  adversaries,  the  oblique  acts  and  indirect  pro* 
ccedin;:'!  of  some  of  those  who  have  departed  from  it,  and  above  all,  the  name 
of  heretic  and  schismatic  which  tiie  Catholic  church  has  fastened  on  them. 
Proieslants  commit  themselves  by  the  conduct  of  the  new  reformers — at  first, 
a  few  and  of  the  lowest  rank  of  the  clergy,  being  made  under  ecclesiastical 
censures,  assisted  against  their  spiritual  superiors  by  some  secular  powers, 
when  both  these  and  they  were  subject  to  that  ecclesiastical  hierarchy,  which 
they  opposed." 

The  following  passage  is  taken  from  Sir  Edwin  Sandys' 
Relation  of  the  Western  Religion : — * 

"The Catholic  church  was  founded  by  the  Apostles,  with  promise,  that  the 
gates  of  hell  should  not  prevail  against  it.  It  has  continued  on  now,  til!  the 
end  of  1600  years,  with  an  honourable  line  of  near  two  hundred  and  forty 
Popes,  successors  of  St.  Pet^^r, — botii  tyrants,  traitors,  pagans,  and  heretics, 
in  vain  wresting,  raging,  and  undermining  it.  All  the  general  councils,  that 
ever  were  in  the  world  have  approved  and  honoured  it.  God  hath  miracu- 
lously blest  it  from  above,  so  that  many  doctors  have  enriched  it  with  their 
writings ;  armies  of  saints  have  embellished  it  with  their  holiness ;  martyrs 
with  their  blood ;  virgins  with  their  purity.  Even  at  this  day,  amid  the  diffi- 
culties of  unjust  rebellions,  and  the  unnatural  revolts  of  her  nearest  children, 
yet  she  stretcheth  out  her  arms  to  the  utmost  corners  of  the  world,  newly 
embracing  whole  nations  into  her  bosom.  In  all  other  opposite  churches 
there  are  found  inward  dissensions  and  contrariety ;  change  of  opinions, 
uncertainty  of  resolutions,  with  robbing  of  churches,  rebelling  against  gov- 
ernors, and  confusion  of  order.  In  the  Catholic  church  there  is  undivided 
unity ;  resolutions  unalterable ;  the  most  heavenly  order,  reaching  from  the 
height  of  all  power  to  the  lowest  of  all  subjection ;  all  with  admirable  harmony, 
and  undefective  correspondence,  bending  the  same  way,  to  the  effecting  of  the 
same  work,"  &c. 

The  venerable  and  learned  Earl  Fitzwilliam,  in  his  Letters 
of  Atticus,  thus  speaks  of  the  Catholic  church: 

"  How  I  am  struck  with  admiration,  when  I  come  to  consider  the  antiquity 
of  this  venerable  Roman  church;  its  vast  extent;  the  majesty,  the  magnifi- 
cence, the  symmetry  of  its  edifice ;  its  immutable  stability  amid  all  the  perse- 
cution which  it  has  undergone;  its  admirable  discipline,  which  seems  traced 
out  by  the  hand  of  supernatural  wisdom ;  the  impotence  of  its  adversaries, 
notwithsandino;  all  their  sophistry,  invectives,  and  calumnies;  when  I  con- 
template the  dignity,  the  virtue,  the  talents  of  its  apologists;  the  vices,  the 
dishonesty  of  its  first  assailants;  the  total  extinction  of  so  many  sects, 
which  have  risen  up  against  it;  the  little  consistency  of  the  present  sects; 
their  variations  on  points  of  doctrine,"  &c. 

The  ministers  of  the  French  reformed  churches,  in  a  memorial, 
which  they  presented  to  the  government,  in  the  1760,  express 
themselves  upon  this  subject,  in  the  following  manner : — 

We  do  not  d!ss6mbiP,  tiiat  in  tuc  paruliei,  wiiicjj  we  aoriietjines  riiaks 
between  your  church  and  ours,  the  striking  features,  notwithstanding  some 
abuses,  are  on  your  side.     You  certainly  existed  before  we  did,  since  your 

*  Sm  Not*  on  thia  paiiag*  appondad  to  Mr.  Pope's  Second  Speech  en  Fourth  Dty 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORY. 


135 


ongin  ia  coeval  with  that  of  the  Apostles.  Whilst,  as  for  us,  we  have  not 
yet  existed  three  centuries:  since  in  1515,  both  your  ancestors  and  ouri 
communicated  at  the  same  mass:  celebrated  together  the  feast  of  Easter; 
and  lived  in  perfect  unanimity  of  sentiment-  Moreover,  the  chain  of  tradition, 
whose  first  link  was  attached  by  Peter  and  Paul  to  Uio  church  of  Rome,  has 
been  in  such  manner  preserved  amongst  you,  that,  if  the  Irenreuses,  the 
Gregorien,  the  Athanasiuses,  the  Chrysostoms,  were  now  again  to  return  to 
the  earth,  it  would  be  in  the  church  of  Rome  alone,  that  they  would  find  tha» 
•ocjety,  of  which,  once,  they  had  been  the  members." 

It  was  such  considerations  as  these  that  induced  Henry  the 
Fourth  of  France,  to  abandon  the  Protestant,  and  embrace  the 
Catholic  religion. — 

"  When  this  illustrious  hero,  previously  to  his  conversion,  was  induced  to 
study  the  Catholic  religion,  he  proposed,  through  the  medium  of  Sully,  a 
variety  of  questions  to  the  Protestant  ministers.  Amongst  others  he  proposed 
the  followmg:— 'Whether  it  was  lawful  for  him  to  become  a  Catholic? 
Their  reply  was :— '  That  it  was  lawful  for  him  to  become  a  Catholic :  seeing, 
that  salvation  is  attainable  in  the  Catholic  church.'    They  added,  it  is  true, 

*  Our  religion  is  the  more  perfect ;  but  still,  the  church  of  Rome  is  sufficient 
for  all  the  securities  of  future  happiness.'  This  answer  obtained, — the  mon- 
arch now  consulted  the  Catholic  prelates  and  theologians  respectin<'  the 
security  of  salvation  in  the  Protestant  church.  But,  he  could  not  fini  one 
single  individual  amongst  these,  that  would  allow  such  benefit  to  exist  in  this 
society.     Whence,  he  reasoned  in  this  manner  with  the  Protestant  ministers : 

*  Y°l*  pretend,'  he  said  to  them,  *  that,  by  continuing  in  your  communion,  my 
religious  state  is  more  perfect,  than  if  I  were  to  become  a  Catholic ;  whilst, 
at  the  same  time,  you  own,  that  I  may  be  saved  in  the  Catliolic  churcli. 
Now,  the  Catholics,  on  the  contrary,  all  maintain  that  salvation  is  not  attain- 
able m  your  religion ;  but  that  it  is  confined  to  the  church  of  Rome.  So 
that,  by  uniting  myself  to  the  church  of  Rome,  I  may  be  saved,  both  according 
to  your  acknowledgment  and  theirs.  Therefore,  1  should  be  the  maddest  of 
rnen,  if,  in  a  business  of  such  infinite  importance,  I  did  not  take  the  safest 
side ;  consequently,  I  decide  in  favour  of  the  church  of  Rome,  in  which,  by  the 
acknowledgment  of  all  the  world,  and  even  of  the  men  who  are  the  most 
opposed  to  each  other— my  salvation  is  secure.' " 

Such  was  the  reasoning,  and  such  the  decision,  of  Henry. 
They  were,  alike,  the  dictates  of  good  sense  and  prudence. 
The  declaration  of  the  Protestant  university  of  Helmstadt,  in 
the  case  of  the  Protestant  princess  of  Wolfenbuttle,  who  was 
destined  to  be  married  to  the  archduke  of  Austria,  is  similar  to 
the  preceding  one  of  the  French  reformed  ministers,  and  presents 
the  same  kind  of  inference.  The  members  of  the  above  univer- 
sity, in  the  year  1707,  were  consulted, 

"Whether  in  the  consideration  of  the  proposed  marriage,  the  princess 
might,  in  conscience,  embrace  the  Catholic  religion?" 

The  answer,  delivr '•ed  in  the  form  of  a  declaration,  was  to 
the  following  effect : — 

"First,  that  the  differe.ice  between  the  Protestant  and  the  Catholic  reli- 
gions is  not  fundamental.  Secondly,  that  is  therefore  lawful  to  "ass  from 
the  Protestant  to  the  Catholic  church!!"  ^ 

Mr.  Pope,  you  will  be  pleased  to  recollect,  drew  a  frightful 
picture  of  this  same  Catholic  church,  and  described  some  of  the 


136 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATOHF< 


Popes  in  the  dark  ages  as  execrable  charaotera.  I  will  not 
deny — indeed,  I  have  already  admitted,  that  there  were  some 
bad  characters  among  the  Popes — but  they  were  few  in  number. 
Were  there  not  bad  she  Popes  in  England? 

Mr.  Pope  spoke  of  the  dissolute  lives  of  the  clergy,  but  he 
does  not  describe  more  faithfully  than  does  Reeve,  in  his  Eccle- 
siastical History,  the  dissoluteness  and  neglect  of  morals  which 
brought  on  the  Reformation.  A  reformation  was  decidedly  re- 
quired, but  it  was  a  reformation  in  morals.  Such  a  reformation 
as  the  Almighty  would  bring  about,  by  (he  instrumentality  of  good 
and  virtuous  characters.  Mr.  Pope  quotes  a  passage  from  Da- 
vid :  "  Wash  me  yet  more  from  my  iniquity  and  cleanse  mc 
from  my  sin."  Here  is  the  strongest  proof  that  David  had  been 
aheady  forgiven  his  sins,  and  his  supplication  to  the  Lord  to 
wash  him  still  more,  shows  that  the  temporal  punishment  of  the 
sin  remains  after  the  eternal  had  been  remitted.  David  adds — 
"  For  I  know  my  iniquity,  and  my  sin  is  always  before  me.'' 
David  well  knew  the  effects  of  sin — he  was  aware,  that  though 
the  eternal  punishment  due  for  his  iniquities  had,  through  the 
mercy  of  God,  been  remitted,  that  still  he  had  a  further  account 
to  render,  and  that  a  temporal  punishment  was  still  to  be  inflicted. 

Mr.  Pope  has  endeavoured  to  work  upon  the  feelings  of  his 
auditory,  by  continual  appeals  to  the  merits  of  the  Redeemer's 
sacrifice.  Did  I  ever  deny  that  the  merits  of  Christ's  blood 
washed  out  all  sin  1  But  who  will  deny  that  a  moral  martyrdom 
will  render  us  more  acceptable  in  the  eyes  of  the  Redeemer? 
Who  will  assert,  that  if  Christ  grants  favours  to  us,  we  should 
not  laoour  to  render  ourselves,  in  a  certain  degree,  deserving 
of  them  ?  Will  not  a  master  be  more  ready  to  grant  favours  to 
a  servant,  in  proportion  as  that  servant  becomes  entitled  to  them 
by  his  good  and  moral  conduct?  Though  I  am  not,  like  Mr. 
Pone,  always  dwelling  upon  the  merits  of  our  Redeemer's  blood, 
whi(;h  should  never  be  introduced  but  with  reverence  and  awe, 
yet  I  am  always  ready  to  assert  my  faith  in  their  infinite  and 
glorious  efficacy.  Mr.  Pope  has  spoken  of  the  confidence  of 
the  true  believers — I  would  remind  those  who  possess  such  con- 
fidence to  beware.  I  would  tell  them,  in  the  language  of  scrip- 
ture, to  "  take  heed  lest  they  fall."  The  inspired  writer  says, 
"  that  no  man  kuovveth  whether  he  be  worthy  of  love  or  hatred," 
and  our  Saviour  says,  "  Learn  of  me,  because  I  am  meek  and 
humble  of  heart."  If  meekness  and  humility  were  more  pre- 
valent at  the  present  day,  this  discussion  had  never  taken  place. 
1  have  been  upwards  of  nine  years  in  the  mission,  and  1  never 
preached  a  controversial  sermon,  until  I  found  the  Biblicals 
assailing  my  flock  in  all  quarters — until  I  saw  wolves  in  sheep's 
clothing,  endeavouring  to  lead  them  from  their  faith,  and  car 


THE    DOCTRINE    OP    PURGATORY. 


137 


s 


lying  on  their  operations  with  a  tract  in  one  hand  and  the  money 
m  the  other— I  then  found  it  necessary  to  stand  forward  and 
protect  the  religious  principles  of  that  flock,  over  which  J.  was 
appointed  the  spirhual  guardian  aftd  guide. 

The  council  of  Trent  never  said,  that  the  merits  of  the  saintu 
can  avail  any  thing  per  se.  They  merely  serve  others  througl 
the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  Christ  is  the  door  through  which  we 
shall  enter— He  is  the  vine— we  are  the  branches— and  what- 
ever  good  works  we  may  perform,  or  whatever  merits  wo  may 
possess,  are  not  to  be  attributed  to  us,  but  to  that  divine  tree 
whence  we  spring,  and  from  which  we  derive  our  life  and  nour- 
ishment. Let  every  pastor  take  care  of  his  flock— I  do  not,  in 
that  respect,  invade  the  rights  of  others.  Mr.  Pope  may  say, 
that  he  is  commissioned  to  preach  to  my  flock,  but  I  deny  the 
fact.  I  say  that  he  has  no  ordinary  mission  to  do  so,  and  he 
must  prove  an  extraordinary  mission  by  miracles,  as  Christ  and 
Moses  did.  If  he  have  an  extraordinary  mission,  let  him  give 
us  such  proofs  of  it,  and  I  am  ready  to  join  with  him. 

I  nrierely  wish  on  this  occasion  to  employ  argument,  not 
rhetoric ;  and  to  appeal,  not  to  your  prejudices  and  passions, 
but  to  the  sober  reflections  of  your  understandings.  If  I  shall 
be  able  to  remove  the  prejudices  of  the  honest  amongst  my 
Protestant  countrymen,  I  shall  consider  myself  as  having 
achieved  much.  " 

During  the  heat  of  the  Reformation,  it  will  be  allowed  that 
expressions  escaped  from  the  exasperated  parties  oa  both  sides, 
which  had  better  been  forgotten.  We  Catholics  may  appeal  to 
the  learned  and  honest  Thorndyke,  wh«  in  his  "Just  Weights 
and  Measures,"  says, 

•  '"^-'f  w^'A^JP  °^^^^  ^°^*  '^  "°^  idolatry,  for  the  flesh  and  blood  of  Christ 
|snoido  to  Christians,  wheresoever  he  is  worshippt-d.  He  that  worships 
he  Host  beheves  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  be  the  only  true  God,  hyposta- 
tically  united  to  our  flesh  and  blood  ;  which  being  present  in  the  Eucharist 
in  such  manner  as  he  is  not  present  every  where,  there  is  due  occasion  to  aive 
It  that  worship  in  the  Eucharist,  with  which  the  Godhead  in  our  manhood  is 
to  be  worshipped  with  upon  all  occasions.  Will  any  Papist  acknowledge 
that  he  honours  the  elements  of  the  Eucharist  for  God  ?  \V ill  common  senle 
charge  him  with  honounn-  that  in  the  sacrament  which  he  does  not  believe 
nose  »  ^'^  '^  *  calumny  by  which  Protestants  lead  the  public  by  the 

He  subsequently  adds, 

.^ri''"^  ?^^  separate  from  the  church  of  Rome,  as  being  idolatrous,  art 
thereby  schismatics  before  God."  ' 

Mr.  Pope  has  attacked  the  Catholic  clergy  for  receiving 
money  for  saying  masses.  The  Catholic  clerirv  depend  for 
support  upon  their  flocks ;  they  possess  not  the  tithes  aiid  green 
acres,  and  the  fat  of  the  land.  .Give  them  a  certain  portion  of 
the  tithes  and  gleWs,  and  I  promise  you  they  will  never  look  to 

12^f 


IS8 


THE    DOCTRI'^E    OF    PURGATORY, 


the  poor,  even  for  the  most  trifling  compensation  We  read 
that  the  labourer  is  worthy  of*  his  hire,  and  that  he  who  preaches 
the  gospel  should  live  by  the  gospel.  Surely  Mr.  Pope  will  not 
assert  the  contrary. 

Mr.  Pope. — My  opponent  has  acknowledged,  that  they  who 
perished  in  the  flood,  died  in  mortal  sin.  Therefore,  according 
to  Mr.  Maguire's  own  showing,  as  those  spirits  were  confined 
in  the  prison  spoken  of  b;  St.  Peter,  the  prison  could  not  have 
been  purgatory.  My  friend  says,  that  the  onus  lies  on  mo  to 
prove  that  there  is  not  a  third  place.  I  reply,  that  the  onus  rests 
on  Mr.  Maguire  to  prove  the  existence  of  a  third  place,  and 
also  to  show,  that  that  third  place  is  purgatory.  He  asks,  if 
there  was  the  disposition  to  repent,  would  not  God  forgive  the 
sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost?  Every  one  who  possesses  repen- 
tance towards  God,  and  faith  towards  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  is 
accepted  of  him;  but  this  sin,  whatever  it  be,  appears  to  inflict 
the  awful  punishment  of  judicial  blindness.  Mr.  Maguire  has 
himself  admitted,  that  the  sin  is  unpardonable.  I  do  not  decide, 
whether  this  sin  can  be  committed  in  the  present  day ;  perhaps, 
the  commission  of  it  was  confined  to  the  times  of  the  Saviour — 
Mr.  Maguire  alludes  to  the  cases  of  Lot  and  of  Jephtha.  I 
answer,  that  the  scriptures,  as  a  faithful  history  of  human  nature, 
must  contain  narratives  of  crime  ;  but  yet,  do  we  ever  find  the 
sacred  volume  speaking  of  acts  of  depravity,  in  language  of 
sanction  and  commendation  1  Does  the  question  need  a  reply  ? 
The  criminal  act  is  either  pointedly  condemned  in  the  immediate 
context  of  the  narration,  or  by  the  spirit  and  precepts  of  the 
inspired  volume.  But  what  are  we  to  think  of  the  book  of 
Maccabees,  which  not  merely  relates  an  act  of  suicide ;  but  pos- 
itively commends  it ;  "  Choosing  rather  to  die  nobly,  Nicanor 
struck  himself  with  his  sword  V  Is  this  the  authority  of  inspi- 
ration 1  Is  this  bravery,  to  fear  to  meet  death  by  the  arm  of 
another,  and  choose  rather  to  fall  on  his  own  sword  ?  My  friend 
has  alluded  to  circumcision  and  baptism.  I  would  say  of  bap- 
tism, what  Paul  said  of  circumcision : 

"He  is  not  a  Jew,  which  is  one  outwardly ;  neither  is  that  circumcision 
which  is  outward  in  the  flesh :  but  he  is  a  Jew  which  is  one  inwardly ;  and 
circumcision  is  that  of  the  heart,  in  the  spirit,  and  not  in  the  letter;  whose 
praise  is  not  of  men,  but  of  God." — Rom.  ii,  2S,  29. 

I  believe  that  God  will  never  exclude  a  sinner  from  heaven, 
if  his  dependance  be  founded  upon  the  blood  of  Jesus,  though 
he  be  not  baptized.  Mr.  Maguire  appears  to  have  a  high 
respect  for  the  E.stabiished  church.  I  would  re'er  him  to  her 
catechism,  which  says,  that  "  the  sacraments  of  baptism  and  the 
Lord's  supper,  are  generally  necessary  to  salvation."     She  does 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORY. 


139 


mc  to 


not  say,  ••absolutely  and  essentially."  Mr.  Maguiie  has  said, 
that  the  Redeemer  made  salvation  depend  upon  baptism  as  a 
condition.  •'  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved, 
ho  that  believeth  not  shall  be  condemned."  It  does  not  say,  he 
that  is  not  baptized  shall  be  condemned.  Taking  him  on  his 
own  ground,  I  would  ask,  does  he  mean  to  draw  a  parallel 
between  baptism  and  the  excruciating  torments  of  purgatory, 
even  as  conditions  of  salvation  ?  When  the  jailer  at  Philippi 
asked,  what  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  1  St.  Paul  simply  replied, 
*•  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved  ;" 
afterwards  I  admit,  that  he  administered  baptism  as  the  initiating 
right  of  Christian  communion.  My  friend  has  referred  to  the 
Greek  church — the  authority  of  the  Greek  church  weighs  but 
little  with  me.  The  statement  that  the  Greeks  did  not  believe 
in  purgatory,  was  a  quotation  from  Fisher,  the  Roman  Catholic 
bishop.  I  omitted  to  notice  one  of  my  friend's  quotations  from 
scripture  in  support  of  purgatory.  The  omission  Was  of  little 
consequence,  as  in  truth,  the  passage  is  perfectly  and  altogether 
irrelevant.     I  shall  read  to  you  the  context. 

"We  would  not  have  you  ignorant,  brethren,  of  our  tribulation  which  came 
to  us  in  Asia,  that  we  were  pressed  out  of  measure,  above  our  strength,  so 
that  we  were  weary  even  of  life.  But  wo  had  in  ourselves  the  answer  of 
death,  that  we  should  not  trust  in  ourselves,  but  in  God  who  raiseth  the  dead, 
who  hath  delivered,  and  doth  deliver  us  out  of  so  great  dangers  :  in  whom 
we  trust  that  he  will  yet  also  deliver  us,  you  helping  withal  in  prayer  for  us; 
that  for  this  gift  obtained  for  us,  by  the  means  ot  many  persons,  tKanks  may 
be  given  by  many  in  our  behalf." — 2  Cor.  i,  8,  11. 

The  last  verse  which  I  have  read,  is  that  which  my  opponent 
adduced.  Here  is  nothing  about  purgatory  or  prayers  for  the 
dead  ;  were  the  Apostles  on  earth,  or  in  the  world  of  spirits, 
when  this  verse  was  penned  ?  Need  I  offer  any  further  com- 
ment to  show  that  no  connexion  exists  between  this  passage  and 
the  doctrine  of  purgatory. 

The  verse  is  just  as  much  connected  with  purgatory,  as  that 
which  is  commonly  used  as  the  motto  of  purgatorian  societies — 

"  Have  pity  on  me,  have  pity  on  me,  at  least  you  my  friends,  for  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  hath  touched  me." — Job.  xix,  21. 

A  short  time  since  I  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  Roman  Catholic 
a  D6uay  Bible,  and  called  his  attention  to  the  passage ;  and 
great  indeed  was  his  astonishment,  when  he  found  that  it  was 
uttered  by  Job,  when  Job  was  on  earth.  My  friend  asked,  why 
David  prayed  for  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins  after  pardon  had 
been  announced  to  him  by  Nathan,  if  his  sins  were  altogethei 
blotted  out.  I  answer,  tlie  Christian  is  conscious  that  the  just 
man  falleth  seven  times  a  day,  and  living  by  faith,  requires  every 
moment  to  cry  out,  "  Purge  me  with  hyssop  and  I  shall  be  cleun." 


140 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PUROATORF. 


by  reason  of  the  guilt  which  he  is  continually,  and  1  may  per* 
haps  say,  sometimes  insensibly,  contracting.  Compare  the 
declaration  of  the  council  of  Trent,  on  the  merit  of  good  works 
already  quoted,  with  the  sacred  volume.     The  Bible  says, 

"The  wages  of  sin  is  death,  but  the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." — Rom.  vi,  23. 

Here  is  the  council  of  Trent  against  God  himself.  My  friend 
spoke  about  confidence ;  the  confidence  of  which  I  spoke  was 
built  upon  the  blood  of  Christ.  He  desired  those  who  stood  to 
take  heed  lest  they  fall.  I  pray  that  I  tnay  be  enabled  to  com- 
ply with  the  exhortation,  God  bestowing  upon  me  an  humble 
spirit.     My  opponent  has  stated  that  the  Apostle  says, 

"  No  man  knows  whether  he  be  worthy  of  love  or  hatred." 

I  must  confess  that  I  have  never  met  with  the  passage  in  the 
sacred  scriptures. 

Mr.  Maguire  deprecates  the  idea  of  standing  here  this  day. 
Had  I  not  seen  the  passage  in  the  Register^  which  is  regarded 
as  the  organ  of  Roman  Catholic  proceedings,  this  meeting 
would  never  have  taken  place.  With  respect  to  personalities  I 
shall  take  no  notice  of  them. 

A  passage  in  the  sixth  ^neid  of  Virgil,  as  translated  by  Diy- 
den,  will  serve  to  throw  light  upon  the  origin  of  purgatory. 

"Nor  death  itself  can  wholly  wash  their  stains. 

But  long  contracted  filth  even  in  the  soul  remains. 

The  relics  of  inveterate  vice  they  wear, 

And  spots  of  sin^bscure  in  every  face  appear; 

For  this  are  various  penances  enjoined, 

And  some  are  hung  to  bleach  upon  the  wind. 

Some  plunged  in  waters,  others  purged  in  fires, 

-Till  ail  the  dregs  are  drained,  and  all  the  rust  expires. 

i|<  *  i|c  %  :)■  % 

Then  are  they  happy,  when  by  length  of  time 
The  scruffis  worn  away,  of  each  committed  crime; 
No  speck  is  left  of  their  habitual  stains, 
But  the  pure  rether  of  the  soul  remains." 

One  would  think  that  Virgil  saw  prospectively  the  purgatory 
of  the  church  of  Romre.  Here  permit  me  to  make  a  remark, 
that  I  cannot  discover,  by  what  process  fire,  which  is  material, 
can  purify  an  immaterial  essence.  I  proceed  to  demonstrate 
from  the  sacred  volume,  in  addition  to  the  arguments  which 
have  been  already  adduced  in  refutation  of  the  doctrine  of  pur- 
gatory, that  the  souls  of  believers  pass  after  death  immediately 
to  everlasting  rest.  If  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseih  from 
all  sin,  then  assuredly  the  man,  who  has  thus  been  cleaojsed,  is 
translated  at  once  into  the  realms  of  eternal  glory. 

In  the  fourth  book  of  Kings,  (or,  as  we  have  it,  the  0CCODd) 
atid  t'venty- second  chapter,  it  is  written, 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    I'URGATORT. 


141 


"Therefore,  I  will  guth  r  thee  to  thy  Fathers,  and  thou  Bhalt  be  gathered 
to  thv  sepulchre  in  peace,  that  thine  eyes  may  not  sec  ah  the  evils  which  I 
will  bring  upon  this  place." 

I  ask,  would  such  a  promise  have  been  made  to  king  Josiah, 
ifthe  soul  was  to  pass  from  the  trials  of  this  world  to  the  agoni- 
zing sufferings  of  a  purgatorial  fire.  In  the  second  of  Corin- 
thians, chap.  V,  1st  to  8th  verse,  the  Apostle  writes: 

"For  toe  know,  if  our  earthly  house  of  this  habitation  be  dissolved,  that  u>« 
have  a  building  of  God,  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  heaven ; 
for  in  this  also  we  groan,  desiring  to  be  clothed  upon  with  our  habitation  that 
is  from  hoaven  ;  yet,  so  that  wo  be  found  clothed,  not  naked ;  for  we  also 
who  are  in  the  tabernacle  do  groan,  being  burthened,  because  we  would  not 
be  unclothed,  but  clothed  upon,  that  that  which  is  mortal  may  be  swallowed 
up  by  life.  Now,  he  that  maketh  us  for  this  very  thing  is  God  ;  who  hath 
given  us  the  pledge  of  the  Spirit ;  therefore,  having  all  this  confidence,  know- 
ing,  that  while  we  are  in  the  body,  we  are  absent  from  the  Lord ;  for  we 
walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight ;  but  we  are  confident,  and  have  a  good  will 
to  be  absent  rather  from  the  body,  and  to  be  present  with  the  Lord." 

Would  the  Apostle  have  made  use  of  such  language,  if  he 
believed  that  he  had  to  pass  through  a  purgatory  1 

"  To  be  absent  from  the  body"  and  "  to  be  present  with  the 
Lord,"  we  find,  are  in  the  case  of  the  believer,  according  to  the 
Apostle,  synonymous  expressions:  and  "in  the  body,"  and 
"absent  from  the  Lord,"  are  likewise  identified.  The  Apostle 
says,  in  Philippians  first  chapter  21st  to  23d  verse  : 

"To  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain ;  and  if  to  live  in  the  flesh,  this 
IS  to  m^the  fruit  of  labour ;  and  what  I  shall  choose  I  know  not;  but  I  am 
straightened  between  two,  having  a  desire  to  be  dissolved,  and  to  be  with 
Christ,  a  thing  by  far  the  better." 

A  passage  which  is  still  more  direct,  is  found  in  the  thirteenth 
verse  of  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  Revelations  : 

"  And  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying  unto  me,  write.  Blessed  are  the 
dead  which  die  in  the  Lord,  from  henceforth ;  yea  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they 
may  rest  from  their  labours,  and  their  works  do  follow  them." 

Why  are  those  who  die  in  the  Lord,  blessed  ?  Is  it,  that, 
delivered  from  the  toils  of  the  flesh,  they  go  to  purgatory  1  Are 
they  blessed,  if  enduring  the  intensity  of  purgatorial  fire?  No  ; 
but  through  the  grace  of  God,  when  the  summons  goeth  forth, 
they  are  translated  from  the  changes  and  sorrows  of  this  mortal 
scene  to  the  regions  of  eternal  felicity.  Surely  the  child  of  God, 
instead  of  in  any  degree  looking  forward  to  the  period  of  his 
dissolution  as  the  commencement  of  eternal  blessedness,  if  he 
must  first  pass  through  the  lake  of  purgatorial  fire,  would  doubt- 
less stand  shivering  on  the  brink.  The  people  of  God  whether 
they  live  or  die,  are  the  Lord's.  Would  the  Apostle  assert  that 
the  Lord's  people  are  blessed  after  death,  if  iliey  had  to  suQer 
in  purgatory  on  their  way  to  glory  1  I  have  spoked  on  Mr." 
Maguire's  arguments ;  I  have  considered  his  quotations  from 


148 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORY. 


scripture,  and  proved  that  they  do  not  support  the  doctrine  of 
purgatory :  if  have  shown  that  such  a  tenet  is  inconsistent  with 
the  character  of  God,  and  derogatory  to  the  Redeemer's  sacri- 
fice.    We  have  seen,  upoa  the  testimony  of  holy  writ,  that  the 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ  is  perfectly  competent  for  the  salvation 
of  sinners :  we  have  seen  Fathers  against  Fathers  :  I  trust,  we 
shall  no  longer  repose  imphcit  dependance  upon  them.     The 
Bible,  and  the  Bible  alone,  as  the  revelation  of  God,  is  the  word 
by  which  we  shall  be  judged.     That  word  directly  shows  us,  that 
the  soul  of  the  real  Christian  having  been  emancipated  from  the 
body  passes  immediately  to  a  state  of  felicity.     We  have  also 
seen,  that  the  doctrine  of  purgatory  carries  on  the  very  fiice  of  it 
a  contradiction  to  the  sacred  scriptures,  in  the  distinction  which 
it  establishes  between  the  rich  and  the  poor.     And  here  I  would 
join  issue  with  one  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  system  of 
the  church  of  Rome,  a  converted  priest :  and  if  1  use  strong 
expressions,  1  mean  no  offence  to  the  feelings  of  my  Roman 
Catholic  auditors— but  I  would  endeavour  to  reach  the  judgment 
and  the  conscience.     The  writer  to  whom  I  allude  says, 

"  The  doctrine  of  purgatory  is  of  heatlien  origin,  intended  to  cheat  the  pini- 
ple  out  of  their  money,  by  givina;  theni  bills  of  exchange  upon  anotlier  world 
for  cash  paid  in  this,  without  any  danger  of  the  bills  returning  protested."— 
Meagher. 

Spare  your  smiles,  my  friends:  the  subject  is  too  momentous: 

it  is  the  salvation  of  the  immortal  and  never-dying  spirit,  on 

which  we  are  discoursing  ;    it  is  the  honor  ot  Emmanuel's 

atonement  that  we  are  vindicating.     Will  you  mot,  in  agree.nent 

with  scripture,  give  your  universal  verdict  against  a  doctrme 

which  would  rob  the  believer  of  his  peace,  which  would  throw 

around  the  glorious  attributes  of  heaven's  sovereign,  the  funeral 

pall  of  darkness  and  abscurity,  which  would  transform  a  God  of 

love  into  a  God  of  terror,  mingle  our  paltry  «  satisfactions"  with 

the  agonies  of  Calvary,  and  attach  to  the  seamless  robe  of  (Jhnst's 

righteousness,  woven  from  Bethlehem  to  the  Cross,  the  tattered 

vestments  of  personal  suffering  ?     As"  to  m«q^of  Jsense,  I  appeal 

to  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy.     Though  -we  differ,  still,  as  a 

friend,  I  would  say,  "take  care  lest  you  are  not  brmgmg  down 

upon  your  heads  the  curses  of  innumerable  immortal  spirits." 

We  are  all  on  our  progress  to  an  eternal  world ;  we  must  all 

onward,  whether  we  will  or  not,  to  our  journey's  end  ;  our  pil- 

grimace  will  soon  terminate,  and  the  exclusive  objects  of 'our 

concern  then  will  be  the  great  reahties  of  an  eternal  woil*    Let 

us  then,  Protestant  and  Roman  Cathohcs,  whde  we  are  on  the 

way,  look  to  Jesus,  tne  oniy  nope  sui  ueiuic  =ii«ivio  ,  tv.  .,-,  >,...,» 

the  Son,  lest  he  be  angry,  and  the  door  of  mercy  be  for  everclosed. 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  PUROATORT. 


\4Ji 


Mr.  Mag uiRE.— Gentlemen,  after  the  very  pathetic  sermon 
which  you  have  just  heard,  the  feelings  of  many  of  you  must  be 
in  no  small  degree  excited.     I  shall  merely  observe  that  I  hiive 
not  come  here  to  preach,  but  to  argue— to  examine  evidence, 
and  expose  sophistry.     Mr.  Pope  has  given  us  a  history  of 
witchcraft  in  the  tenth  century — It  is  but  a  few  days  ncro  that 
several  men  were  tried  in  Bible-reading  England,  for  assaulting 
and  nearly  killing  a  poor  old  woman  under  the  impression  that 
«he  was  a  witch.     She  was  supposed  to  have  bewitched  a  colt, 
und  she  was  actually  made  to  go  under  the  colt's  tail  and  pray 
lor  Its  health  and  prosperity !     This  occurred  in  Bftgland  where 
there  are  ten  Bibles  for  one  head.     Mr.  Pope  calls  the  sin 
against  the  Holy  Ghost  an  act  of  judicial  blindness.     Does  he 
hold  that  for  a  sin  which  a  man  has  committed  fifty  years  before 
his  death,  and  for  which  he  has  sincerely  repented,  the  gates  of 
heaven  will  be  shut  against  him,  and  he  will  be  condemned  to 
eternal  reprobation  ?     Is  Christ's  blood  to  be  of  no  avail  to  that 
repentant  sinner?     Is  such  the  doctrine  of  Mr.  Pope?     I  be- 
seech you  all  to  examine  the  New  Testament,  and  you  will  find 
m  almost  every  page  of  it,  a  contradiction  to  such  a  doctrine. 
I  may  here  beg  to  recall  your  senses  which  have  been  floating 
upon  that  magical  hemisphere  created  by  the  wonderful  eloquence 
of  my  friend,  and  direct  your  attention  to  the  arguments  he  has 
advanced.     Mr.  Pope  says  that  the  sacraments  of  the  church 
of  England,  namely,  baptism,  and  the  Lord's  supper,  are  gener- 
ally necessary  to  salvation.     Mr.  Pope  should  understand  the 
word  « generally,"  as  theologians  do,  to  mean  that  in  some 
mstances  the  sa(;raments  may  be  dispensed  with ;  for  martyr- 
dom, in  the  opinion  of  theologians,  suffices  as  a  substitute  for 
baptism.     If  Mr.  Pope  understands  "  generally,"  in  that  sense,  I 
quite  agree  with  him.    But  if  he  denies  that  baptism  is  necessary 
to  all  Christians  who  have  the  opportunity  of  receiving  it,  as  a 
requisit  1'  for  salvation,  I  propose  to  him  the  distinct  text  of 
scripture — 

"  Amen,  I  say  unto  you  except  a  man  be  born  again  of  water  and  the  Holy 
Orhost  he  cannot  have  hfe  m  him."  '' 

If  the  God  of  heaven  thought  fit  to  appoint  a  third  place  for 
the  purifying  of  souls  from  sin  after  their  departure  from  this 
life,  IS  not  Mr.  Pope  guilty  of  blasphemy,  in  thus  calling  the  all- 
wise  God  to  an  account?  Christ  does  not  derogate  from  the 
efficacy  of  his  own  merits  by  the  establishment  of  a  third  place  • 
.*I!  .  ..  """^^  question  is,  was  there  such  a  place  de  facto  estal 
^  aiguwu  an  mrougn  upon  liie  assumption 

that  I  believe  that  all  souls  should  go  to  purgatory  in  the  first 
instarifce^I  hope  on  the  contrary,  that  many  go  direct  to  heaven, 


144 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORT. 


l! 


and  a  few  coinparntivcly  to  purgatory.  Is  it  not  evident,  that 
if  many  souls  go  directly  to  hejiven,  that  does  iiot  militate  against 
tho  doctlitie  of  purgatory.  Because  some  souls  should  go  di- 
rectly to  heaven,  it  would  be  foolish  in  the  extreme  to  argue  that 
no  such  place  as  purgatory  existed.  I  challenge  Mr.  Pope  to 
produce  a  single  direct  proof  from  scripture  against  purgatory. 
Every  passage  which  he  has  quoted  is  perfectly  consistent  with 
the  existence  of  a  third  place. 

Before  I  proceed  further,  let  me  read  to  you  the  following 
passage  from  the  pen  of  that  candid  Protestant  divine,  the  learned 
Dr.  Thorndyke,  in  his  "  Just  Weights  and  Measures."  Speak- 
ing of  the  doctrine  promulgated  by  Luther,  as  to  the  justification 
by  faith  only,  he  says, — 

"Can  it  full  within  tho  aense  of  a  Christian  to  imagine,  that  he  can  be 
restored  by  a  'Lord  have  mercy  on  me?'  No,  it  must  cost  liim  hot  tears  and 
sighs,  and  groans,  and  extraordinary  prayers,  with  fastini;  and  aims.  Those 
wTio  assure  sinners  of  pardon  and  the  favour  of  God,  with  such  meansof  true 
repentance,  whether  it  be  themselves,  or  their  false  teachers,  plainly  murder 
their  souls." 

Is  not  that  a  strong  passage  against  the  Lutheran  and  Cal- 
viiiistic  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  only,  which  has  been 
adopted  by  Mr.  Pope  1  The  iimlility  of  good  works  is  a  pleas- 
ing doctrine  to  promulgate  ; — it  ministers  to  the  passions  of 
mankind,  and  encourages  every  species  of  immorality. 

Mr.  Pope  talked  of  Job,  and  he  stated  that  a  Roman  Catholic 

was  astonished  on  his  telling  him  that  Job  used  the  following 

words,  while  he  was  in  this  life  : — 

"  Have  pity  on  me,  have  pity  on  me,  at  least  you  my  friends,  because  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  hath  touched  me." 

I  now  assert  that  generally  speaking,  learned  commentators 
agree,  that  Job  there  speaks  in  the  spirit  of  prophecy  of  himself 
when  dead,  that  his  language  related  to  Jesus  Christ,  whose 
death  on  the  cross  would  redeem  them,  and  that  he  therein 
solicited  the  prayers  of  the  friends  about  him  when  he  departed 
from  this  life.  Such  is  the  sense  in  which  I  find  this  passage 
understood  by  the  learned  commentators.  But  I  had  never 
quoted  the  text  in  support  of  the  doctrine  of  purgatory,  and  Mr. 
Pope  is  therefore  only  building  castles  in  the  air,  for  the  purpose 
of  pulling  them  down.  Is  not  the  doctrine  of  Mr.  Pope,  on  the 
head  of  justification  by  faith,  directly  Calvinistic  ?  He  has  ap- 
peared afraid  to  express  the  opinion  which  he  evidently  enter- 
tains, that  the  blood  of  Christ  is  sufficient  alone  to  save  us  ;  as 
if  our  Saviour  himself  had  not  annexed  to  the  promise  of  salva- 
tion, many  co-operating  conditions,  the  fulfilment  of  which  is 

i2CV;CS£iUry    UII   IIIC    UUIl  Vl    JUUIl    -   -iiCUI     Wliai  vut    i^anvrui    ottjo, 

"  Rut  if  thou  wilt  enter  into  heaven  keep  the  commandments." 

"  Unless  you  do  penance  you  shall  all  likewise  oerish." — Matthew,  six,  17 


f 


jent,  that 
e  against 
Id  go  (11- 
rgue  that 
Pcpe  to 
Lirgatory. 
tent  with 

following 

e  learned 

Speak- 

tification 


he  can  be 
I  tears  and 
IS.  Those 
'ansof  true 
nly  murder 

and  Cal- 
has  been 
i  a  pleas- 
jsions  of 

Catholic 
following 

lecausc  the 

Tjentators 
>f  himself 
st,  whose 
e  therein 
departed 
1  passage 
lad  never 
,  and  Mr. 
B  purpose 
pe,  on  the 
e  has  np- 
itly  enter- 
re  us  ;  as 
of  salva- 
which  is 

lew,  xix,  17 


THE     DOCTRINK    OP    FUROATORY. 


145 


I  have  already  proved  that  the  word  M'tapoia  was  used  in 
reference  to  the  repentance  of  the  men  of  Nineveh,  and  that 
repentance  we  are  told  in  scripture,  consisted  of  the  works  of 
penance,  fastmg,  and  similar  mortifications. 

I  defy  any  Protestant,  who,  like  Mr.  Pope,  mamtains  the  right 
of  private  judgment,  to  prove  that  the  Bible  is  the  inspired  word 

cJhv  /*^\P'-?!,f^''"*  '"""*  <«•*«  '^  "PO"  trust  from  the 
Catholic  church.  They  receive  the  sacred  scriptures  from  a 
church  whose  authority  they  refuse  to  acknowledge. 

Mr.  Fope  has  again  recurred  to  the  origin  of  the  present  dis- 
cussion, and  repeated  that  the  passage  in  the  speech  published 
•  ?  ^*'^.^/^S'^*«'*'  fi'-^t  ff'^ve  occasion  to  it.     Mr.  Pope  has  spoken 
too  of  that  paper  being  the  organ  of  the  Catholic  body— that 
may  be  true,-but  I  will  here  say  that  the  editor  of  the  Register 
had  nothmg  to  do  with  the  speech  in  question.     He  should  not 
be  held  responsible  for  it,  unless  it  had  been  given  in  by  the 
pntleman  who  furnishes  the  regular  reports  for  that  journal. 
1  have  already  disclaimed  the  accuracy  of  the  report  in  question. 
1  have  on  the  nrst  day,  stated  to  this  assembly,  how  Mr.  Pope's 
challenge  was  sent  round  in  green  bags  through  my  parish,  and 
H^at  a  copy  of  It  was  served  regularly  upon  me  at  breakfast  after 
mass  m  the  presence  of  several  Protestants.     Let  Mr.  Pope 
employ  what  arguments  he  may  think  fit  against  my  creed.     I 
shall  not  descend  to  personalities— even  if  he  make  a  parcel  of 
crabs  crawl  across  this  table,  and  state  that  they  are  souls  on 

Xv^^'TrV  P"^/^*«'-^;  J  «hall  not  accuse  him  of  person- 
auty.  Mr.  Pope  forsooth  has  made  u  noble  discovery.  He 
proves  from  a  passage  taken  from  the  sixth  book  of  Virgil's 
jEneid.that  the  Catholic  church  has  stolen  the  idea  of  purgaTorv 

WiMMrT^^"  "'^i!^''?^^^;  ^''^^  ''"^^^'^^  speaks^f  hell. 
Will  Mr.  Pope  say  that  the  doctrine  of  hell  has  been  also  stolen 
Irom  the  mythology  of  the  heathens  ?  I  think  I  may  make  him 
a  lull  present  of  the  notable  argument  which  he  has  founded 
upon  the  sixth  book  of  the  ^neid.  .  »"unaea 

Mr.  Pope  says,  that  he  cannot  conceive  how  the  fire  of  pur- 
fS  ''''".^''/  upon  immaterial  souls.  This  was  precisely  the 
objection  started  by  Voltaire  against  the  doctrine  of  hell-namely! 

nfi^  ^.uc  "°^  ^^*  "P°"  ^^^  ^"™^n  ««»>•  That  celebrated 
infidel  therefore,  contended  that  the  soul  must  be  annihilated 
after  its  separation  from  the  body ;  and  he  ridiculed  as  incon- 
s^stent  and  absurd  the  doctrine  of  future  rewards  and  punish- 

o";,hg:dto 'Mr.topr^  ^^'^'^  ^'"'  -^  ^^-^^  ^-^  -'--^^ 

Mr.  Pope  eternallv  reciirQ  tn  t\xn  „n^,u^  ^r  *u-   n-:i--       - 
blood,  in  order  to  throw  dust  in  the  eyes  of  his  hearers.    There 
w  not  a  man  on  earth  places  more  dependance  than  I  do  upon 


146 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORV. 


the  sacred  blood  of  our  divine  Redeemer.     1  feel  that  my  eter- 
nal salvation  is  a  doubtfis^l  matter,  but  I  hold,  with  the   Catholic 
church,  that  the  merits  of  Christ's  blood  have  out-balanced  all 
sin.     I  believe  that  millions  will  be  blessed  in  the  Redeemer's 
name.     Rlr.  Pope  insists  that  the  doctrine  of  the  utility  of  good 
works  detracts  from  the  merits  of  Christ's  sacrifice.     It  remains 
for  Mr.  Pope  to  show  that  sin  is  sanctioned  bij  heaven  :  or  that 
because  good  works  are  rewarded  by  our  Saviour,  he  therefore 
derogates  from  his  own  infinite  merits.  We  believe  that  all  men 
who  are  saved  are  saved  alone  through  the  merits  of  Christ. 
As  it  is  not  derogatory  to  Christ  to  be  an  intercessor  with  the 
Father,  neither  is  it  derogatory  to  Christ  to  have  intercessors 
under  him.   Mr.  Pope's  attempt  to  throw  discredit  upon  the  holy 
Fathers  does  not  look  well  for  his  cause.    I  beg  you  to  recollect 
the  argument  which  I  proposed  respecting  the  Fathers — and 
which  argument,  as  Mr.  Pope  has  not  condescended  to  notice  it, 
I  shall  here  repeat — either  the  Fathers  in  their  writings  published 
what  was  the  acknowledged  doctrine  of  the  church  or  they  did 
not.     If  they  did  publish  the  established  doctrine  of  the  church, 
Mr.  Pope  must  give  up  the  fust  ages  of  Christianity,  and  the  first 
councils,  and  admit  that  there  never  was  a  period  when  such  doc- 
trine was  not  taught  by  the  church.     If  the  doctrines  promulga- 
ted by  the  Fathers  were  not  those  entertained  by  the  church,  why 
did  not  the  church  then  disclaim  them,  and  condemn  their  opin- 
ions?    Why  did  not  the- heretics  quote  the  Fathers,  as  opposed 
to  the  Catholic  church?     Mr.  Pope  has  given  some  quotations 
from  the  Fathers.    As  soon  as  the  substance  of  the  present  con- 
troversy is  drawn  up  and  duly  authenticated,  I  shall  repair  to  the 
library  at  Manchester,  and  there  examine  the  genuine  editions 
of  the  Fathers,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  authentii  ity  and  correct- 
ness of  the  quotations  read  by  Mr.  Pope.  Ttie  quotations  which 
he  has  given  are  taken  upon  second  hand  authority.      He  has 
had  them,  I  believe  »bstetricante  :)ianu. 

My  quotatixiis  remain  uncontroverted  and  incontrovertible.  I 
would  recall  the  attention  of  all  candid  Protestants  present  to 
this  fact,  that  I  have  proved  my  doctrine  by  three  distinct  pas- 
sages from  scripture,  which  have  not  been  explained  by  my  op- 
ponent— I  have  quoted  Fathers  who  adduce  the  same  texts  of 
scripture  in  support  of  the  doctrine  of  purgatory.  Were  Jerome, 
Augustine,  Cyprian,  Tertullian,  and  Origen,  down  to  the  fifth 
century,  all  wrong  in  their  opinions  on  this  subject  ?  Will  you 
prefer  the  private  judgment  of  Mr.  Pope  before  the  unanimous 
consent  of  the  holy  Fathers  and  the  authority  of  the  church  1 

Dr.  Johnson,  one  of  the  greatest  men  that  Jiiuglaud  ever  saw, 
admitted  the  reasonableness  of  the  doctrine  of  purgatory.  H« 
acknowledged  that  it  was  a  holy  and  reasonable  doctrine,  a^d  he 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORY.  147 

jcrordingly  offered  up  prayers  for  the  departed  soul  of  his  mother, 
\S  hat  Dr.  Johnsou  held  and  acknowledged,  lew  Protestants  need 
be  ashamed  of. 

Negative  proofs  alone  were  those  to  which  Mr.  Pope  has  had 
recourse.  I  have  advanced  no  position  in  proof  of  the  doctrine 
of  purgatory,  which  I  have  not  founded  upon  at  least  two  direct 
and  positive  texts  of  scripture.  I  have  also  brought  forward 
the  holy  Fathers  in  support  of  the  doctrine  which  I  maintain.  I 
have  proved  that  all  antiquity  concurred  in  giving  the  same  tnean- 
lug  which  I  now  give,  to  the  texts  of  scripture  which  I  have 
quoted,  rt  must  be  acknowledged,  even  by  Protestants,  that 
those  holy  Fathers,  who  lived  immediately  after  the  Apostles,  and 
many  ot  whom  are  canonized  saints,  form  a  great  and  powerful 
authority,  as  to  the  doctrines  of  the  church  in  the  early  ages  of 
Chnstianity.  Mr.  Pope  will  not  admit  the  authority  of  the 
church,  nor  will  he  give  credit  to  the  collective  wisdom  of  the 
holy  t  athers. 

VVe  read,  that  God  will  render  to  every  man  according  to  his 
works.  If  God  plunges  a  man,  for  an  idle  word,  into  hell  for  all 
eternity,  where  will  a  place  be  found  for  Antichrist,  or  for  JVero, 
Caligula,  Domitian,  and  the  other  monsters  of  vice  who  have 
disgraced  the  human  Ibrm  ]  Where  is  a  place  of  adequate  pun- 
ishinerit  to  be  found  for  them,  if  a  man  be  condemned  everlast- 
ingly for  the  expression  of  a  single  idle  word  ?  Yet  we  read  in 
bt.  John  the  words  of  our  Lord,  that 

JilfteZlJlZ  o?  tvel^"  •''  ""^^"'  '"'  '""^  "°'>'  ^'^°^*'  »^«  «''''»  -^ 

Is  the  doctrine  propounded  by  Mr.  Pope  consistent  with  the 
justice  and  n%ercy  of  God  ?  Protestants  should  beware  of  the 
doctrine  that  asserts  they  must  go  directly  and  at  once  either  to 
heaven  or  hell.  I  he  alternative  is  a  dreadful  one,  and  obviously 
does  not  consist  with  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God 
•  It  is  evident  that  the  texts  of  Scripture  are  on  my  side.  Has 
Mr.  Pope  quoted  a  single  text  directly  against  the  doctrine  which 
1  advocate,  or  in  contradiction  to  the  texts  whicn  I  have  read  to 
you  ?     V\  eigh  that  fact  in  your  minds. 

Mr.  Pope  has  attempted  to  cast  discredit  upon  the  utility  of 
good  works.  Now  1  ask  him,  />o,v  can  a  merciful  God  punish  me 
eternally  for  bad  xvorks,  f  he  will  give  me  no  credit  forr.u,  ^ood 
ones  /  I  had  been  led  to  believe  that  the  giving  of' even  a  cup 
of  cold  water  should  have  its  reward.  I  have  already  stated 
that  good  works  avail  not  per  se,  but  through  th«  infinif«  pj^ri*. 
ot  our  Kedeeiner,  who  will  reward  the  efforts  of  poor  manrto 
co-operate  with  divine  grace,  in  the  atonement  for  his  manifest 
transgressions. 


14ft 


TIIK    IHUriHINU'.    OK    IMIIIUATURr. 


ii 


Mr.  PoPK  -Ax  lo  tho  NtuiiuMi  wlurh  my  Ir^mn^d  opponanl 
iiUMjiivK  iut»  ol'  prtMUJhiii^,  it  «>iiulni»l»Ml  iVoin  (lin  lln  I,  ll»i»l  iImto 
\ft>iti  no  urttumt'iili*  <i»  >\lii«'h  I  m»«I  lo  rrply.  Ilr»  luiw,  Indt'tnl, 
UpaU  in  l»»0(ul  unptiAHioiis  l»>it  nol  iu  in>j«iin«<nl,  Mr.  Miiwuih'  Iihn 
luuoh  *»hj«M'lt^»l  Jo  lUo  PxpioHKion,  "i'Hliciul  ItliiulinT^iN."  I  In 
Hhouhl  itm  oinltt'r,  lluit  (lio  (MuiHlilulioii  ol'  (lin  iniiitl  Im  IiiuimmI  liy 
tW  (io«l  ol'  iiiiiHl.  NViuMi  wo  Ikuliiluullv  roniwl  Uio  ruiiviilioiiK 
itfoui  Jmlgiut'htN.  Iho  (litrluu'MM  ol'  (ho  uutlnXitiiiliiig  in  iiintMiKOiJ, 
no  (Imt  »( Tonulh  wo  otmitot  (liNi'ovor  tntlh  rioiii  rulNolutiul :  iIiim 
U  jihlit'iiU  l>liMtlnoMM.  ^/'i7  h  ih/tu^i  ifu^t  Hofm  a'c  /"  piinrdtortj^ 
m\\lt.  J\hiti'itm  rtam'h,  thm  /  Aop  //mU  //<f  uiiwltn'  of  iiin,mn 
/(»♦'  «»H«/.*  jU«f/r'*'<MA"  M>  fm'jj(ulitni  n'*//  /x*  mi  finforfum  ihmwin/irtt. 
I  luo\mlu  roi'wuni  Iho  puMsugr  I'lMin  »lol»,  a^  o(|»iulliii)^  in  iinlov- 
ttuoy,  Sii".  Mu^oiiT**  qtiolution  iVom  a  i\)V.  i,  U.  IM)'  o|ipo»ionl 
h«>i  rt!*soiUHl,  llmt  wo  lU'o  ii»«loltt«Ml  l\»r  ll»o  Imly  MCiiphiioM  lo  llin 
olunvh  of  Uoioo.  \  dony  tho  ponilion,  U'oio  thoio  m>t  viuioiiH 
chujvho!*  l>o>4i«lo  U\o  ohurrh  til'  Homo  (  Huh  my  Trioiid  novor 
hoiuxl  oCtUo  (irooU,  ll»»  Ahyssiuiun,  tl»o  ChuMoim,  ll»o  Syiinii,  or 
(\\v  WuKlonwiMU  ohmrhoH  I  Tlioso  all  poKHOMwotl  ll»«»  McripltiioM. 
To  omplt>y  «i»  illut«trulion,  w  hirb  I  Imvr  tisod  on  olliPr  o«  oiiKioiiH. 
in  <losiro\l  u  <lmu}ihl  of  wultM,  luul  six  or  hvwu  wlirumM  (lowing 
towJU'tlx  mo,  .MhonM  jjo  luitl  plimj;o  nty  \vhhv\  into  llio  noiuoMt 
liitroum,  I  nu>y  l>o  tlmn  joMi «  ss«mI  l»y  iho  proprietor  ol"  nno  ol'  tho 
rivulots :— "  vSir,  you  uro  onliroly  (iopomlimt  on  mo  for  water, 
but  you  shuU  not  tiraw  it  I'lom  this  Nlroant  ;  it  Itolon^n  lo  mo." 
1  nujiht  roply,  "  I  am  nt>t  ovolnsively  indoUtcd  to  you  or  dopon- 
daut  upon  your  I'ountain  :  \\\i'W  aro  livo  or  nix  othor  ntro»n>N  ut 
Imud  ;  youumy.il'you  phaso,  dobar  nu>  of  aoro8s  lo  your  wril, 
but  I  can  p»«t  my  l>uokt«t  into  othor  springs,  and  taiu)  a  ritl'rtwh- 

ing  draught.," 

Mr.  lyiagiiiro  rfuuuks,  that  \\\y  ohsorvation  on  th»<  inoompo- 
toncY  of  uaUorial  tiro  t«>  purgo  an  inunatiM'ial  spirit,  ooincidoi 
\\\t\\  that  of  Yoltairo.  I  h«dd,  that  ahhough  a  spiiit  cannot  sull'or 
iVouj  nuitorial  suhstanoo,  it  can  ho  taught  to  suU'cr  hy  hiing 
bixmght  into  contact  with  spirit.  >Vhen  tho  spirit  is  r'>nnite<l  to 
tho  eorpuiTul  frame,  thou  tho  body  na\y  suH'cr  from  ni.ittM'ial  tiro. 
My  opponent  says, that  tho  Fathers  in  tho  <|uotations,  which  he^ 
adduced  relative  to  purgatory,  either  gave  the  mind  of  tho  chinch 
or  they  did  not :  if  they  did  not,  why  did  not  the  church  protest 
against  them :  if  they  did  give  the  mind  of  tho  church,  vAiy  ia 
not  the  doctrine  which  ho  says  they  propound, received  ?  In  reply, 
I  say,  that  the  quotations  fiom  tho  Fathors,  which  I  have  adduced 
in  refutation  of  ourffatorv-  tither  gave  the  mind  of  tho  church, 
or  thev  did  not :  if  they  did  not,  why  were  they  not  protested 
against ;  if  they  did,  why  is  not  the  doctrine  received  which  they 
•upport?     Therefore,  we  have  Fathers  against  Faihers. 


» 


rifK  imwTRiNK  ntf  vvnusrnnv.  fdO 

My  o|mim»i|i(  iiMhtid  (|iM*^lioi(H  in  Ihn  IiimI  Itiitl'  lioiir  y««J»<r<)rty, 
wIhmi  ho  liimw  lli«7  r.MiliI  iml  Imi  t(')»lii-(l  lo.  fin  |imm  Htijfl  Ihnt  I 
liiivi-  iiutyivi'ii  my  ruin  ol'  ruiili.     I  h.-p;  to  Ixi  tMiniiilliii  u,  i\my 

lIllH  llHMI<ltll)ll.        1  II^IIJII  tlllil   |)|/^||i||  »4|Hl*<l|,  (il)lt    I  HIT,   Olltl  10  IN  ;viv 

uiM.n;  «»►•  i^AiTii.  I  iinvnr  MM^otlnd  ilmi  (iu«Uu(|;.|,.i|,  (;||n«( 
»<iuirr<n«<l  not  ill  U\h  iliviiiily,  Ixil  in  U\n  Ummm  imUmi  i  tuid  tlifi 
miioii  of  (loilV  will)  iiiiitihiMiil,  Ntiiiii|iii(t  iiii  iiiliiiitn  viilunu(»oii  hix 
miHiMinK'^.  I  wliull  »n»w  jirot-nml  |*»  |»rovn  (lin  UNpindioii,  «'(m,o»i- 
li  ily,  iiiUi«nty,  millmnl  icily,  iiiiil  (/tuiiiiMi  ih^mm  oC  llm  winrnil  v/d- 
MiiM'.  Kroiii  llin kImmI Ijmmi lillowt^ti,  I  mIiiiI!  Iki  umUr  lli»i  luuumn'tiy 
of  iKHiilniHiiig  my  rtiminltN  williiti  u  mhhiII  rompiiNN.  I  wtiu\i\ 
ilrnt  nn\i,  how  <hHiN  (ho  «;hiir«th  ol  liomd  «h'ri«l«i  iijion  iImum  «)u«'m. 
lioim  (  1m  il.  hy  iiiM|Mriitioit ?  My  o)*|m)M(!|iI,  I  noi  ronvimiM), 
doriH  not  (iiilni'liiiii  wm  h  im  opinion.     It  in  thnn  on  kviokn*  k  | 

ANO  IN  NOT  KVIOKNTK    TA  Nfillll,!',  To  OTM ICHK    AX    WKM.    AM    TO 

TiiK  iirujUJM  Oil-  ItoMK  f     IVIv  IVinnd  Hum  minln  tin  oliMwmilioii 
to  thiM  ('ir<Mt,  tliiit  I  «hwrr(^iir«h'<I  iiKK''"K'it«'  wiMiloni.    'I'Uti  hnniff 
tion,  permit  ntn  to  wuy,  in  MnloinKhMJ.     I  «|pny  not,  Unit  in  Ihu 
ninhitmh)  ol'  ctMniMdJIorM  Hmro  iM  Miili'ty.     Hnr»'ly  lh«  wiwrlonior 
u  iiolhulivn  hody  miiy  hn  MorviroiihUi,  lhoiip;|i  not  ♦•ndow«'«l  wi(h 
IIm)  prnroKUlivn  of  inrullihiJily.—AM  to  (hiMiiMpiriifion  oI'iIm)  My*- 
tnm,  ntvnuhni  in  Hcripfmn  ;  nil  am  ronvincud  ilmt  wn  iwmhI  n 
rovidution.     The  li^llt  of  niilnro  ran  in  no  wiw^i  diwrovnr  lo  un  n 
plan,  hy  which  th«  Ocily,  in  perfect  harmony  wilh  U'tn  imcbm;^- 
in/j;  pcrl'octifmM,  can  pardofi  j^nilly  rrmn.      HocrafcM  looked  lor 
Much  a  revelation.  The  law  ol'  opmion  in  continually  nnclniilinjr, 
and  dot'M  not  CurniMh  an  inunutahle  Hiandard  ol'  iuor»l«.      Do  w« 
not  want  Monielhin^  to  rhe«!r  and  cotiMole  um  amidst  the  vieiMMi- 
tudcM  and  lroid>leH  ol*  lil'n  ?     When  we  look  heyond  llie  potlalM 
of  (he  (j;rave,  do  wo  not  require  u  ray  of  truth  lo  illmninafe  iho 
diirknoHH  of  the  tomh  {     Ity  nature  we  know  little  of  (iod,  litllo 
of  ourMelvew,  littlo  nf  our  deMtiniew.      Here  iM  a  volume  which 
purportM  to  he  a  rcvelatiofi  from  heav«n.     I  Mtudy  if,  and  /in<l  in 
it  a  MuhJifno  dinphiy  of  the  divine  perfe»;tionM,  a  Mcheme  of  redemp- 
tion' perfectly  adapted  to  my  circumMtanceM,  a  perfect  code  of 
morulw,  a  Hystoin  whone  tendency  ta  to  dilfune  happinewM  on  earth, 
and  to  Hinooth  the  rufr^e<l  hrow  of  death ;  mo  that  the  volume 
hears  upon  iU  very  frofit  the  hroad  imprcMM  of  heaven.     I  find 
that  it  hart  eondeu.sed  the  fragmentM  of  truth  that  are  scattered 
through  the  world,  into  a  glorioun  whole,     i  find  tJmt  it  explain* 
the  mazes  and  labyrinths  of  life,  and  bringu  glory  to  (»od  m  the 
highcHt,  and  speaks  peace  on  earth,  good  will  towards  men.     It« 

iwii  trrmit  iltviainna.  thit  ftl<ia>i/l   XT.-t./ 'I'.^.^t....>....*    ,.,.,,i,.',^  . ..,.,.!.» 
— — ......    - ,..    .•-•T     I  -,  .-'.tsisrr.i:!,  r.-r:ji.-rsii  j/jrrjjsjr; 

cies  which  have  been  fulfilled  in  the  destrueticjn  of  kinj^dorni, 
and  in  events  which  history  has  recorded.  The  Jews  are  scat- 
tered throughout  the  world,  and  arc  still  a  distinct  people.  Lord 

13* 


150 


THE    DOCTRINE     OF    PURGATORY. 


^!!l: 


Chesterfield,  with  all  his  infidelity  was  obliged  to  say,  that  he 
never  could  get  over  the  state  of  the  Jews  as  a  testimony  to  the 
truth  of  scripture.  From  what  origin  could  such  a  system  have 
sprung?  It  could  never  have  emanated  from  the  schools  of 
antiquity.  The  schools  were  incapable  of  discovering  the  char- 
acter of  God,  or  of  devising  such  a  scheme  of  morals.  Ancient 
philosophers  were,  comparatively,  children  on  the  subject  of 
moral  obligation.  If  philosophy  could  not  impart  such  truth, 
we  must  look  to  some  other  source,  and  I  find — that  source  is 
heaven.  What  object,  I  would  ask,  could  the  Apostles  have 
had  in  attempting  to  deceive  mankind  1  Was  it  temporal  inter- 
est? No — they  exposed  themselves  to  persecution  and  death. 
W^hen,  therefore,  I  find  the  system  which  they  have  revealed, 
according  with  the  voice  ot  nature,  adapted  to  the  circumstan- 
ces of  man,  accurately  describing  his  character,  and  palpably 
embodying  in  itself  the  attributes  of  Jehovah,  I  cannot  avoid 
asking, 

"  Whence,  but  from  heaven,  should  men  unskilled  in  arts, 

In  different  ages  born,  in  different  parts, 

Weave  such  agreeing  truths,  or  how,  or  why, 

Should  all  conspire  to  cheat  us  with  a  lie, 

Unasked  their  pains,  ungrateful  their  advice, 

Starving  their  gains,  and  martyrdom  their  price  ?" — Drtden. 

Having  made  these  observations  on  the  inspiration  of  the  sys- 
tem contained  in  the  sacred  records,  I  beg  to  remark,  that  the 
man  convinced  that  the  system  is  divine,  does  not  experience 
much  difficulty  respecting  the  canon  of  scripture.  The  illiterate 
person  never  troubles  himself  upon  the  subject.  He  finds  a 
balm  for  his  sorrows  in  the  word  of  life — a  medicine  for  his  soul, 
drawn  from  the  laboratory  of  truth,  prepared  by  the  great  Phy- 
sician of  Souls.  As  to  the  canonicity  of  the  sacred  volume  : 
what  is  the  evidence  respecting  any  work,  such  as  Virgil  or 
Horace,  but  the  testimony  of  the  ancients  1  This  testimony  is 
infinitely  more  conclusive  in  support  of  the  sacred  scriptures. 
We  shall  commence  with  the  fourth  century,  (it  being  unneces- 
sary to  begin  with  the  writers  of  a  later  period)  and  take  you 
through  successive  witnesses  up  to  the  first  century,  when  we 
have  the  five  Apostolic  Fathers.  Allow  me  to  trespass  upon 
your  attention  by  mentioning  the  names  of  some  of  the  writers. 
In  the  fourth  century,  we  have  numerous  quotations  from  the 
New  Testament  in  the  writings  of  St.  Athanasius,  Ephiphauius, 
Jerome,  Rufinus,  Augustin,  Eusebius,Bnd  Cyril,  Gregory  Na- 
zienzen^i  Philaster?  Arnobius,  Laotantius,  and  others.  In  the 
third  century,  we  find  various  passages  from  the  New  Tcsta- 
mjnt,  occurring  'n  the  writings  of  Novatus,  Dionysius,  Commo- 
f'ian,  Auatolius,  Theognostus,  Methodius,  Fhileas,  Victorinus, 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  PURGATORY.         1$1 

Cyprian,  Cains,  and  others.  In  the  second  century,  Tertullian, 
Clemens  Alexandrinus,  Theophihis  of  Antioch,  Athenagoras, 
IrenjEus  of  Lyons,  Melito,  Tatian,  Hegesippuri,  Justin  Martyr, 
and  Papias,  contain  numerous  references  to  the  New  Testament. 
This  chain  of  evidence  brings  us  to  the  five  Apostolic  Fathers: 
Barnabas,  Clemens,  Romanus,  Hermas,  Ignatius  and  Polycarp. 
In  the  fourth  century  we  have  catalogues  of  the  books  of  the 
New  Testament  made  by  St.  Athanasius,  (39  Ep.  Fest.  t.  i,  p. 
961,  E.  962,  C.)  Jerome,  (De  Stud.  Script,  ad  Paul  in.  ep.  50, 
al.  103, 1,  iv,  p.  2,  p.  674,  ed.  Bened.)  Rufinus,  (Expos.  Symb. 
Apost.)  Augustin,  (De  Doctr.  Christ.  I.  2,  cap.  viii,  n.  12, 13, 
14,  torn,  iii,  p.  1,  Benedict.)  and  Epiphanius,  (Panar.  h.  76,  p. 
941.)  n>osi  accurately  agreeing  with  the  present  received  canon. 
If  this  evidence  be  sufficient  to  satisfy  every  candid  man,  as 
to  the  canonicity  of  the  books  of  the  New  Testament,  that  por- 
tion of  the  sacred  oracles  will  enable  us  to  conclude  respectin*' 
the  canonicity  of  the  books  of  the  Old.  Almost  all  the  books 
of  the  Old  Testament  are  quoted  in  the  New,  as  may  be  seen 
by  consulting  the  short  appendix  to  Canne's  Bible.  The  Jews, 
as  I  have  already  stated,  did  not  receive  the  apocrypha.  The 
passage  to  that  etTect  from  Bellarmine,  is  as  follows  : 

"  Omnos  libros  que-  Protestantes  non  recipiunt,"  &c. 
"  All  tlie  books  wliicli  the  Protestants  do  not  receive,  the  Jews  also  do  not 
admit." — Lib.  i,  De  verb.  Dei.  c.  10,  principio  et  sect  ad  locum. 

In  the  beginnmg  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  Compultenstian 
Polyglot  was  published  by  Ximenes,  Cardinal  and  Archbishop 
of  Toledo,  in  Spain.  In  the  preface  to  the  reader,  there  is  a 
special  admonition  given,  that  the  books  of  Tobit,  Judith,  Wis. 
dom,  Ecclesiaslicus  and  the  Maccabees,  with  the  additions  to 
Esther,  which  are  set  forth  in  the  Greek  onhj^  are  not  canonical 
scripture.     The  words  are  these — 

"  But  the  books  without  the  canon,  which  the  church  receives  rather  for  the 
edification  of  the  people,  than  for  confirming  the  aulliority  of  ecclesiastical 
dogmas,  are  given  in  Greek  only,  but  with  a  double  interpretation." 

About  this  time,  the  Vulgate  Bible  with  Lira's  commentary 
and  the  ordinary  gloss,  was  printed  at  B-asil ;  in  the  preface  we 
read  as  follows  : 

"  Since  there  are  many,  who  because  they  do  not  bestow  attention  upon  the 
sacied  scriptures,  suppose  that  all  the  books  which  are  contained  in  the  Bible, 
are  to  be  venerated  with  like  respect,  not  knowing  how  to  distinguish  between 
canonical  and  uncanonical  books,  (which  the  Jews  reckon  amongst  the  apoc- 
»-ypha)  from  whence  they  ofteh  appear  ridiculous  to  the  learned,  therefore,  we 
have  distinguished  and  distinctly  enumerated,  first,  the  canonical  books,  and 
afterwards  the  Uneanonicat  ;  between  which  theit;  is  us  niucii  (jiilt-rence,  as 
between  that  which  is  certain  and  that  which  is  dubious  ;  for  the  canonical 
books  were  composed  by  the  dictation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  it  is  not  kiioton 
»t  what  time,  or  by  what  axUhors  the  uncanonical,  or  in  other  words,  the  apvcry- 


152 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    PURGATORT. 


phtd  btoks  xoere  set  forth;  but  tho  canonical  books  arc  of  ao  ^eat  authority 
that  whatsoever  is  there  contained,  tho  church  holds  as  true,  hrmly  and  with* 
out  question." 

•  Permit  me  to  add,  that  the  Redeemer,  who  pointedly  censured 
the  Jews  for  making  void  the  word  of  God  by  their  traditions, 
would  still  have  strongly  condemned  them,  if  they  had  left  out  of 
their  canon  any  part  of  the  word  of  God. 

With  respect  to  the  uncorrupted  "preservation  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, let  us  bear  in  mind  the  great  care  with  which  the  Jews 
preserved  it.  Philo  Judaeus  informs  us,  that  the  Jews  regarded 
the  Old  Testament  with  such  profound  veneration,  that  they  even 
counted  the  letters,  that  they  discarded  a  copy  which  contained 
a  single  error,  and  would  rather  lose  their  lives  than  alter  the 
original  in  the  slightest  degree. — (Philo.  ap.  Euseb.  de.  Prsep. 
Evang.  lib.  viii,  c.  2.)  How  could  the  Old  Testament  have  been 
adulterated  previously  to  the  Saviour  ?  The  Jews  were  divided 
into  sects.  The  Talmudists  and  the  Caraites  would  naturally 
watch  over  their  common  scripture  with  jealousy.  Could  the 
Samaritans  have  been  prevailed  upon  to  unite  with  the  Jews  in 
corrupting  the  Pentateuch?  After  the  commencement  of  the 
Christian  era,  the  Old  Testament  was  in  the  hands  of  Christians 
as  well  as  Jews.  Had  the  Jews  left  out  any  portion  of  the 
Old  Testament,  would  they  not  have  omitted  the  passages  which 
condemned  the  conduct  of  their  leaders,  which  speak  of  the 
idolatries  of  the  people  as  sanctioned  by  their  priesthood,  and 
which  predict  their  treatment  of  the  Messiah?  but  these  are  still 
found  in  the  Old  Testament.  The  quotations  from  the  Old 
Testament  in  the  Fathers  coincide  with  the  same  passages  as 
they  stand  in  our  Bible  :  from  this  fact  also  we  infer,  that  the 
Old  Testament  has  not  been  corrupted  since  their  time.  The 
New  Testament  has  been  dispersed  in  different  countries.  Tho 
»rariety  of  sects  which  have  existed,  watched  it  with  such  jealous 
care,  that  none  could  have  mutilated  it.  We  have  many  ancient 
translations.  Drs.  Kennicott  and  Bentley  have  examined 
numberless  manuscripts,  both  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament. 
Dr.  Bentley,  speaking  of  the  various  readings,  says, 

•*  I,  for  my  part,  and,  as  I  believe,  many  others,  would  not  lament,  if  out  of 
the  old  MSS.  yet  untouched,  10,000  more  were  faithfully  collected  :  some  of 
which,  without  question,  would  render  the  text  more  beautiful,  just  and  exact; 
though  of  no  consequence  to  the  main  of  religion  nay,  perhaps,  wholly  syn- 
onymous in  the  view  of  common  readers,  and  quiie  insensible  m  any  modern 
version."-  -Philaleuth.  Lipsieus.  p.  90. 

These  are  proofs  which  must  satisfy  every  candid  inquirer,  as 
to  the  canonicity  and  uncorrupted  preservation  of  the  sacred 
volume. 

I  pass  on  rapidly  to  my  proofs  of  the  authenticity  of  scripture. 
The  primitive  Christian  Fathers,  and  others  were  competent 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OF    THE    RRFORMATION.       I5S 

judges  as  to  matters  of  fact.  And  can  we  believe,  that  so  many 
would  have  deserted  the  schools  of  philosophy,  enrolled  them- 
selves amongst  the  persecuted  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ,  and . 
have  suflered  martyrdom  itself,  if  they  had  not  been  convinced, 
upon  sound  evidence,  of  the  authenticity  of  the  facts  recorded 
in  the  inspired  volume  ?  With  respect  to  the  genuineness  of  the 
New  Testament  :  contrast  the  several  books ;  mark  the  coin- 
cidence between  the  history  of  the  writers  and  their  respective 
writings  ;  observe  the  style  of  each — the  gospel  of  St.  Luke  is 
of  purer  Greek  than  the  others — this  circumstance  is  accounted 
for  by  the  facti  that  Luke  was  a  physician,  and  consequently 
possessed,  it  is  presumed,  some  share  of  learning.  We  have 
many  Hebraisms  and  Syriacisms  in  the  New  Testament,  by 
which  we  know  that  the  writers  were  Jews  ;  for  their  thoughts 
being  transfused  into  Greek,  the  diction  contracted  a  tincture 
from  the  medium  through  which  they  passed.  On  the  other 
hand,  but  few  of  the  Fathers  knew  any  thina;  of  Hebrew. 

Allow  me  here  to  remark,  that  in  thus  appealing  to  the  mere 
evidence  of  historical  testimony — I  am  not  departing  from  my 
principles.  The"  modus  irndendl,"  the  mode  of  handing  down, 
and  the  ♦♦  res  tradita,"  the  thing  handed  down,  are  altogether 
different.  Cardinal  Bellarmine  mentions  the  evidences  by  which 
a  book  is  known  to  be  canonical,  "  first,  from  the  testimonials  ot 
the  ancients — secondly,  from  its  likeness  and  agreement  with  the 
other  books — thirdly,  from  the  common  sense  and  taste  of  Chris- 
tian people." — De  Verb.  Dei.  I.  c.  10. 

"  He  that  is  spiritual  judgeth  things,"  says  the  Apostle  Paul, 
1  Cor.  ii,  15.  Let  the  man  of  a  spiritual  mind,  read  the 
apocrypha,  and  his  taste  and  feeling  will  nauseate  much  that  is 
contained  therein  ;  nor  will  he  find  the  same  spirit  in  them  which 
pervades  the  books  of  holy  writ. 


Fourth  Day. — Monday,  April  23. 


SUBJECT.—"  The  Justification  of  the  Reformation." 

Admiral  Oliver  and  Christopher  Fitzsimon,  Esq.,  in 
the  chair. 

Mr.  Maguire  rose,  and  called  on  Mr.  Pope  to  justify  tha 
Reformers. 

Mr.  Pope: — Mr.  Maguire  has  called  upon  me  for  a  justifica- 
tion of  the  Reformers  :  but  permit  me  to  remind  you,  gentlemen. 


154 


THE    JUSTinCATION     OP 


1 


I 
ill 


t'liit  I  Stand  up  on  the  present  occasion  to  justify  the  separation 
from  the  Church  of  Rome  which  took  phice  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  16th  century.    1  wish  it  to  be  distinctly  understood, 
that  I  stand  not  here  to  vindicate  every  act  of  the  reformers  :  it 
is  the  separation  from  the  church  of  Rome  which  I  am  to  justify. 
If  I  were  for  a  moment  to  admit  (which  I  bij  no  means  do)  that 
the  reformers  were  the  most  abandoned  characters  upon  earth — 
if,  for  argument's  sake,  I  were  to  make  this  concession,  it  would 
not  interfere  with  the  question  before  us,  which  is— were  the 
reformers  justified  in  separating  from  the  church  of  Rome  in  the 
16th  century?     The  reformers,  His  true,  had  their  failings  like 
other  men ;  but  this  is  to  be  accounted  for,  partly  from  the  natural 
Weakness  of  human  nature,  and  partly  from  the  influence  of  the 
system  which  they  had  just  abandoned.     It  is  difficult  for  a  per- 
son, long  accustomed  to  habits  of  indolence  and    profligacy^ 
instantaneously  to  engage  in  the  activities  of  life — at  once  to 
shake  off"  the  chrysalis,  and  stand  forth  in  all  the  beauty  and 
proportion  of  moral  rectitude.     Suppose  that  you  had  been  con- 
fined in  a  gloomy  dungeon  for  twenty  or  thirty  years  ;  when  first 
you  are  led  forth  X6  enjoy  the  light  and  liberty  of  heaven,  is  it 
not  natural  to  think,  that  you  could  not  for  some  time  enjoy  the 
perfect  exercise  of  your  visual  organs  1 

I  would  justify  the  separation  from  the  church  of  Rome  upon 
two  grounds :  the  first  is,  the  degraded  moral  character 
3F  THE  CHURCH  OF  RoME  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation  ; 
and  the  second  is,  the  unscriptural  nature  of  the  peculiar 
DOCTRINES  OF  THAT  CHURCH.  As  to  the  moral  character  of 
the  church  of  Rome,  I  might  only  refer  you  to  the  quotations 
which  I  have  already  adduced  ;  but  to  these  I  beg  to  add  some 
others.  You  will  bear  in  mind  that  they  are  the  testimonies  of 
Roman  Catholic  tcriters. 

Cardinal  Baronius  says,  in  the  close  of  the  10th  century  : — 

"  What  then  was  the  face  of  the  Roman  church  ?  How  very  filthy,  when 
the  moGt  powerful  and  sordid  harlots  then  ruled  at  Rome,  at  whose  pleasure, 
sees  were  changed,  and  bishoprics  were  given,  and— which  is  horrible  to  hear, 
and  most  abominable— their  gallanla  were  obtruded  into  the  see  of  Peter,  and 
made  false  popes  ;  for  who  can  say  they  could  be  lawful  Popes,  who  were 
obtruded  by  such  harlots  without  law  ?  There  was  no  mention  of  the  election 
or  consent'of  clergy  ;  the  canons  were  silent,  the  decrees  of  Popes  suppressed, 
the  ancient  traditions  proscribed,— lust,  armed  with  the  secular  power,  chal- 
lenged all  things  to  itself.-  ***!!! 

What  kind  of  Cardinals,  do  you  imagine,  must  be  then  chosen  by  those  mon- 
sters, when  nothing  is  so  natural  as  forhke  to  beget  like?  who  can  doubt, 
ul  Ihey  in  all  thina'  did  consent  to  those  that  chose  them  ?  Who  will  not 
easily  believe  war  mev  anim^iicu  iticns  uim  luilvrrvu  tn^  i.  ,.-.i. ..- j--  •  •  •  --- 
understands  not  that  such  men  must  wish  that  our  Lord  would  have  slept 
continually,  and  never  have  awoke  to  judgement  to  lake  cognizance  ol,  oi 
piiouh  their  iniquities."— Annal.  Tom.  x,  A.  D.  912,  Art.  8. 


' 


tl\''.  ! 


THE    REFORMATION. 


16^ 


Of  the  llth  century  Baronius  writes, — 


•'  That  it  was  by  Dithmarus  styled  the  iron  age,  because  iniquity  did  then 
abound,  and  that  many  did  then  discourse  and  believe,  that  in  this  very  age 
antichrist  was  to  come,  and  the  world  was  to  have  an  end  :  and  the  corrup* 
lion  of  manners  which  then  (saith  he)  was  very  great,  especially  among  tht 
eecleaiastics,  might  easily  persuade  men  that  it  would  be  so." — A.  D.  1001. 

In  the  16lh  century,  in  the  council  of  Lateran,  under  Julian 
the  Second,  it  is  declared  that, 

"  Oppression,  rapine,  adultery,  incest,  and  all  pestilent  vices,  did  confound 
all  sacred  and  proiline  things,  and  tliat  the  same  beat  St.  Peter's  ship  so 
impetuously,  that  it  was  almost  drowned." 

••  What  may  we  think,"  said  Platina,  "  will  become  of  our  age,  wherein  our 
sms  are  grown  so  great,  that  they  hav^  scarce  left  us  any  room  with  God  to 
obtain  mercy.  How  great  the  covetousness  of  the  priests  is,  and  especially 
of  such  as  rule  among  them  ;  how  great  the  lusts  of  all  sects:  what  ambition, 

[)omp,  pride,  what  ignorance  both  of  themselves,  and  Christian  doctrine,  what 
ittle  religion,  and  that  but  hypocritical  rather  than  true,  what  corrupt  manners, 
to  bo  detested  even  in  lay  people,  I  need  not  say  ;  when  they  sin  so  openly 
and  publicly,  as  if  they  sought  for  commendation  thereby." 

Nicolaus  de  Clemangis,  an  archdeacon  in  the  church  of  Rome 
in  the  15th  century,  in  his  epistle,  where  he  speaks  of  flying  not 
only  with  our  minds  from  Babylon  but  with  our  bodies  also, 
writes  thus — 

"  Who  can  there  safely. live,  where  not  only  wicked  things  are  lawful,  but 
all  men  are  compelled  by  the 'severest  pumshments  to  believe,  speak,  and 
follow  the  most  wicked  and  ungodly  things  ;  and  to  embrace  tlvpm  as  things 

iust  and  laudable ;  where  they  do  not  only  not  receive  sound  doctrine,  but 
itterly  persecutfall  tliose  who  do  resist  the  madness  of  their  wills  ?  +  * 
What  is  it,  think  you,  to  be  drunk  with  the  cup  of  Babylon,  but  from  long 
conversation  with  her  to  be  so  infected  with  the  contagion  of  her,  that  follow- 
ing the  erring  herd,  you  willingly  embrace  false  things  for  true ;  perverse,  for 
righteous,  mad  things  for  sound:  and  to  desire  rather  to  be  mad  with  the 
multitude,  than  to  be  wise  alone  with  danger  and  derision  ?  He  that  is  dif- 
ferent in  manners  from  thorn,  ought,  not  to  live  there,  where  the  plague  of 
corruption  hath  so  prevailed  as  to  infect  all  men  with  its  contagion." — P.  177. 

In  his  book  of  Simoniacal  Prelates,  he  says,  cap.  1  : — 

"  The  church  is  now  become  a  shop  of  merchandise,  or  rather  of  robbery 
and  rapine  ;  in  which  all  the  sacraments  are  exposed  to  sale.  *  *  Ami, 
therefore,  you  see  such  men  admitted  to  the  priesthood  and  other  holy  orders, 
who  are  idiots,  unlearned,  and  scarce  able  to  read,  though  waywaidiv,  and 
without  understanding  one  syllable  after  another,  who  know  no  more  of  Latin, 
than  they  do  of  Arabic,  who,  when  they  read,  pray,  or  sing,  know  not  whether 
they  bless  God,  or  blaspheme  him— men  undisciplined,  unquiet,  gluttons, 
drunkards,  praters,  vagabonds,. lustful,  bred  up  in  luxuiy,  and  in  one  word, 
idie,  and  ignorant." 

I  will  not  shock  your  ears  by  reading  the  passage  which  fol- 
lows. In  his  book  of  The  Corrupt  State  of  the  Churchy  cap. 
iii,  he  tells  us,  ^ 

-  "  That  she  was  defiled  with  the  sink  of  all  vices  ;  and  might  be  fitly  called 
the  Church  of  Malignanls  :  that  the  saying  of  the  prophet  was  now  verified, 
that  from  the '  leoft  9  *  them  to  the  greatest  every  one  teas  given  to  covetotisness. 


156 


THE    JUSTIFICATIOn    OF 


that  from  the  prophet  to  the  priest  every  one  dealt  falsely.  *  ♦  *  ♦  Who 
preaches  or  doclarcs  the  gospel  ?  Who,  either  by  word  or  deed,  shows  the 
way  to  Irle  eternal  7" 

Speaking  of  the  Pope,  he  says — 

"That  by  taking  from  the  diooeaans  and  natrons  the  liberty  of  presentation 
to  their  benefices,  ho  had  stocked  the  churcn  with  ignorant  and  wicked  men. 
How  great  a  number  of  expectants  from  that  time  came  in,  not  from  tticir 
studies  or  tlic  schools,  but  from  the  plough  and  servile  arts,  to  become  parish 
priests,  and  obtain  other  benefices,  who  knew  little  more  of  the  Latin,  than 
the  Arabic  tongue;  who  could  not  read,  and,  which  is  a  shame  to  speak  of, 
scarce  knew  Jl  from  B,  and  yet  their  immordity  was  greater  than  their  igno- 
rance ;  for,  being  educated  in  idleness,  without  learning,  they  followed  nothing 
but  idleness,  sports,  banquetings,  brawlings  and  vain  talk:  hence  is  it,  that 
in  all  places  we  have  so  many  ignorant,  miserable,  and  wicked  priests." — 
Cap.  13. 

In  the  next  place,  he  taxes  the  cardinals  with  avarice,  unclean- 

ness,  simony,  and  other  vices.     He  says, 

"That  by  their  means  it  came  to  pass,  thf»»  no  man  learned  in  the  scrip 
tures;  no  honest,  just,  and  virtuous  persons  were  advanced  to  high  dignities; 
but  only  ambitious  persons,  flatterers,  buffoons,  and  men  corrupted  with  all 
vices;  so  that  they  were  wholly  unlearned,  or  if  they  knew  something  of  the 
imperial  laws,  or  gainful  sciences,  they  never  thouoht  of  God's  law,  or  of  the 
spiritual  learning,  in  which  the  people  were  vo  be  instructed  to  life  eternal — 
that  if  any  person  happened  to  condemn  their  covetousnesa  and  injustice,  if  he 
endeavoured  by  wholesome  exhortations,  and  by  preaching  to  gain  souls,  if  he 
meditated  more  on  the  laws  of  God,  than  those  of  men,  presently  every  man's 
teeth  were  whet  against  him,  and  ready  to  bite  him ;  ana  they  procloimed  him 
a  fool,  and  one  unworthy  of  the  priesthood.  So  that  now,  (saith  he)  the 
study  of  the  scriptures,  and  the  professor  of  divinity  are  become  ridiculous  to 
all  men." 

Of  the  Bi.shpps': 

"That  in  most  diocesses,  the  rectors  or  the  parish  priests  paid  them  a  cer- 
tain  price  for  keeping  *****♦*.  That  no  man  was  admitted 
into  the  clergy  or  sacred  orders,  or  any  ecclesiastical  degree,  without  rewards, 
which,  saith  he,  is  intolerable;  thnt  being  youths  without  beards,  and  scarce 
got  from  under  the  ferula,  they  obtained  a  bishopric,  knowing  as  little  of  that 
office,  as  of  the  mariner's  vocation  ;  that  by  their  filthy  examples  they  led  their 
flocks  into  bye  ways,  which  tended  to  their  ruin." — Cap.  11,  12,  13. 

Again, 

"What  should  I  speak,  (saith  he)  of  the  learning  of  the  priests,  when  it  is 
visible  that  scarce  any  of  them  can  read?  they  know  not  words,  and  much 
less  things:  he  of  them  that  prayeth,  is  a  barbarian  to  himself.  If  any  man 
is  idle  and  abhors  labour,  if  he  loves  luxury,  he  gets  now  a  days  into  the  clergy, 
and  then  presently  he  joins  himself  to  the  rest  of  the  priests  that  are  volup- 
tuous, and  live  according  to  Epicurus,  rather  than  according  to  the  laws  of 
Christ"— Cap.  25. 

"  Such  (saith  he)  is  the  abundance  of  wicked  men  In  all  professions,  that 
there  is  scarcely  one  among  a  thousand,  who  sincerely  doth  what  his  profes- 
sion doth  require ;  if  there  be  any  sincere,  chaste,  sober,  frugal  person,  in  any 
college  or  convent,  who  doth  not  walk  in  the  broad  way,  lie  is  made  a  ridicu- 
lous fable  to  the  rest,  and  is  continually  called  on  insolent,  mad,  and  hypo- 
critical fellow ;  so  that  many  who  would  have  been  good,  hiid  they  lived  with 
good  and  honest  men,  are  drawn  by  wicked  company  into  their  vices,  lest 
they  should  suffer  the  fore-mentioned  reproaches  among  their  companions."— 
Cap.  26. 


i 


■M.,,, 


THE    REFORMATION. 


167 


He  then  concludes  with  an  apostrophe  to  the  Roman  church— 

"What  tliinkcst  thou  of  thine  own  prophecy,  tho  revelations  <f  Sl  John  f 
dost  thou  not  think  they  do  at  least,  in  part,  belong  to  thee ;  thou  hast  not 
surely  so  wholly  lost  a  I  shame  as  to  deny  this;  look,  therefore,  into  it,  and 
read  he  damnalton  of  the  great  whore  sitting  upon  many  waters,  and  there  con- 
template  thy  famous  facts,  and  future  rui«."— Declarat.  defecL  Virorum  Ecclesi. 

James  de  Paradise,  of  Chartres,  who  wrote  a  little  after  the 
Council  of  Basil,  says. 

They  who  have  the  presidency  in  councUs  on  the  Pope's  behalf,  when  they  set 
that  matters  i«  the  councU  make  against  their  masters  and  them,  what  can  be 
expected  from  thorn  but  that  they  will  withstand  the  decrees  of  such  councils 
with  might  and  main  either  by  dissolving  them,  ot  sowing  dissensions  = :  them: 
arid  so  the  thing  shall  rernam  unfinished,  and  we  be  driven  to  return  to  the  old 
wUdemess  of  error  and  of  ignorance.  Every  body  knows  this  to  bo  most  true 
unless  It  be  some  one  happUy  who  is  not  experienced  in  times  past.  The  tra- 
gedy  which  was  acted  in  our  ate  in  the  councU  of  UasU  doth  sufficiently  prove 
It,  as  they  kiiew  well  who  have  laid  d 1.  -  -.       .    -  ,J  K.     " 


Stat.  Ecclcsia;.  I. 


down  the  story  before  our  eyes. — Do  SepU 

Of  the  16th  century,  in  which  the  council  of  Trent  was  held, 
and  more  particularly  of  the  proceedings  there,  the  complaints 
are  still  more  grievous. 

"Amongst  most  of  the  nrfmatefi  of  our  religion,  whoso  example  the  ignorant 
people  ought  to  follow  and  be  conformed  to,  there  is,"  sailh  Picus  Mirlndula. 
either  none,  or  very  htt  e  service  of  God,  no  good  life,  no  shame,  no  modesty. 
Justice  is  declined  into  hatred  or  favour,  piety  is  almost  turned  into  supersti- 
lion,  anri  by  all  orders  of  men  sin  is  so  openly  committed,  that  very  often  the 
virtue  of  the  honest  man  is  made  his  crime,  and  vice  is  honoured  as  a  virtue 
by  them  who  think  the  unheard  of  petulancy  and  long  impunity  of  their  vices 
to  be  as  walls  and  enclosures  to  them,"~Orat.  ad  foen,  X,  et  Coiicil  Lat. 
habit.  A.  D.  1512,  Oper.  t.  xx,  p.  1826.  ' 

Stsephylus,  speaking  of  the  destruction  of  the  city  of  Rome, 
which  happened  A.  D.  1527,  observes— 

"  Whence  is  it  that  this  happened  ?  to  wit,  because  all  flesh  bad  corrupted  its 
^r"<5^\T  ^^"^^  ""  ^'^'2^""  'i"^  inhabitants  not  of  the  holy  city  of  Rome,  but 
ofBabylon,  that  wicked  city;  of  which  that  of  the  prophet  Isaiah  is  fulfilled. 

How  IS  the  fiiithfiil  city  become  an  harlot.'  Let  no  man  think  this  prophecy 
hath  been  fulfilled  already,  in  the  destruction  of  Babylon  or  of  Jerusalem. 
Wo!  future  things  were  present  to  the  prophet's  eye,  and  this  the  prophet  hath 
declared  to  us,  saying,  'the  daughter  of  Zion  shall  be  left  desolate,  as  in  the 
wasting  of  the  enemy.'  St.  John  doth  in  the  Revelations  tcil  us,  the  daughter 
of  Zion  IS  not  Jerusalem  but  Rome ;  and  liis  description  of  her  makes  it  plain. 

I'or  the  woman  which  thou  sawest  (saith  he)  is  that  great  cily  which  hath 
dominion  over  the  kings  of  the  earth,'  that  is  spiritual  dominion.  She  sits. 
saiMi  he  upon  seven  hills,  which  projperly  agrees  to  Rome,  which,  upon  this 
account,  is  styled  Septicollis.  She  is  full,  saith  he,  of  the  names  of  blasphemy 
—she  13  the  mpther  of  unclcanness,  fornications,  and  abominations,  which  are 
in  the  earth ;  than  which  words  no  more  particular  demonstration  of  the  city  can 
be  reqiitsite,  seeing  these  iniquities  do  almost  generally  reign,  yet  here  they 
have  their  seat  and  empire.     Orat.  habit,  ad  auditores  Rotae  Maii  15,  A.  D. 


T    nn  ■  nrh  f 


i1 


"'Snj  otiicr  quotations,  out  i  shall  briiig  Rir- 
ward  only  two  more.  Johannes  de  Eych,  Episcopus  Eystatensis, 
epeakmg  of  the  corruption  of  the  times  of  the  Reformation,  says, 

14 


158 


THE    JUSTIKICATION    OF 


['II 


"  The  pervnrtrd  manners  l»y  wliir-h  almost  nil  the  crdesiastical  order  if 
stainrd,  so  cloiul  the  s«'nsoH  of  nil,  that  not  only  they  do  not  perceive  the  word 
of  truth  with  their  ears,  but  even  denpisini' amendment  of  life,  they  resist  Uieu 
own  salvation  even  with  arms." — Prima  Epistola,  P.  M.  S. 


Franciscufl  tie  Victoria,  observes,  that. 


-Ec 


"  The  Church  couhl  neither  bear  her  disorders  nor  their  remedies."- 
desia  ncc  mala  sua,  n«:  rcmedia,  ferro  posse. — Prelect  4,  prop.  23. 

In  addition  to  these  testimonies  from  Roman  Catholic  authori- 
ties, I  beg  leave  to  observe,  that  at  the  tinw  of  the  Reformation 
OS  my  friend  is  well  aware,  there  was  an  universal  cry  for  a 

REFORMATION  OF  AIJUSES. 

I  am  now  come  to  my  second  point,  namely,  the  unscriptural 
nature  of  the  peculiar  doctrines  of  the  church  of  Home. 
First,  as  to  Tradition. — 

[Here  Mr.  Maguire  interrupted  Mr.  Pope.  I  came  here  to 
detend  three  points  of  my  religious  creed.  I  attack  but  three  of 
your's.     I  will  not  allow  you  to  go  into  others. 

Mr.  Pope  replied,  that  tlie  question  before  them  was  the  jus- 
tification of  the  Koforination  ;  and  in  order  to  justify  it,  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  enter  briefly  into  the  doctrines  of  the  church 
of  Rome. 

Mr.  Maguire.  You  .should  defend  yourself,  and  not  attack 
me.     I  appeal  to  the  written  regulations. 

Mr.  Pope.  T  stand  on  my  defence,  and  am  to  show  that  the 
reformers  were  justified  in  separating  from  the  church  of  Rome  : 
from  the  state  of  that  church,  both  with  regard  to  morals  ana 
doctrine. 

Mr.  Maguire  appealed  to  the  chair :  and  after  a  consultation, 
Mr.  Lawless  stated  the  opinion  of  the  chair,  namely,  that  Mr. 
Pope  had  a  right  to  state  whatever  reasons  occurred  to  his  judg- 
ment, as  having  called  for  the  Reformation,  and  on  the  other 
hand  that  Mr.  Maguire  had  a  right  to  prove  the  scriptural  cha- 
racter of  the  doctrines  opposed,  in  order  to  show,  that  the 
Reformation  was  not  called  for  on  that  account.] 

Mr.  Pope  resumed. — Gentlemen,  I  shall  take  a  rapid  view 
of  the  doctrines  of  the  church  of  Rome,  in  order  to  prove  thai 
the  reformers  were  justified  in  separating  from  her  communion 
on  that  ground. 

TRADITION. 

The  church  of  Rome  says — 

"  All  saving  truth  not  being  contained  in  the  holy  scripture,  but  partly  in 
the  scripture,  and  partly  m  unwritten  traditions;  scripture  and  tradition  are 
to  be  received  and  venerated  with  like  piety  and  reverence,  "pari  pictatii 
aflfectu  ac  reverentia." — Concil  TrideiiL  Sees.  4,  Decret  de  can.  Script 


THE    REFORMATION. 

The  Doiiay  Bible  says — 


159 


-Ec 


' 


"You  ghall  not  add  to  the  word  that  I  ipcok  to  you."— Deut  iv  vh.  8. 

«'  Kv.-ry  word  of  Uo.1  is  fire  tried  ;  add  not  uny  thing  to  his  words,  lest  thuu 
be  reproved  and  fonnd  a  liar."— Prov.  xxx  ch.  5,  6. 

"  For  r  testify  to  every  one  that  heareth  the  words  of  the  prophecy  of  this 
book  :  If  any  man  jihall  add  to  these  things,  God  shall  add  unto  hiir  the 
plagues  written  in  this  hook."— Apo&  xxii  ch.  18. 

"The  holy  srriptnres  can  intlrncfthce  to  talvatum  hy  the  faith  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  :  all  scripture  inspired  of  God,  is  profituhle  to  teach,  to  remove, 
to  correct,  to  instruct  in  ju<<tice :  that  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  furnished 
to  every  good  work."— 2  Tim.  iii  ch.  15,  17. 

"You  have  made  void  the  commandment  of  God  for  your  tradition."— 
Matt.  XV  ch.  6. 

I  find,  therefore,  that  tradition  is  condemned,  and  that  scrip- 
ture is  able  "  to  instruct  unto  salvation,  to  teach,  to  reprove,  to 
correct,  and  to  instruct  in  justice,  that  the  man  of  God  may  be 
perfect,  furni.shed  to  every  good  work."  I  am  desirous  of  know- 
ing, if  the  scriptures  be  imperfect,  by  what  process  they  can 
make  a  man  perfect  in  every  good  work  ? 

READING    THE    SCRIPTURES. 

The  church  of  Rome  intimate,  that  it  is  not  for  the  people  to 
read  the  sacred  scriptures^ — Indiscriminata  lectio  sacrae  scrip- 
ture interdicte  est — and  her  practice  abundantly  confirms  the 
information.  Cone.  Trid.  Sess.  4,  Decret.  de  can.  Scrip :  Ind. 
lib.  prohib.  Reg.  4. 

The  Douay  Bible  says — 

"  Come  near,  ye  Gentiles,  and  hear,  and  hearken  ye  people :  let  the  earth 
hear,  and  all  that  is  therein ;  the  world,  and  every  thing  that  cometh  forth 
ofit"— Isaiah,  xxxiv,  1. 

And  adds  in  the  16th  verse — 

"  Search  te  diligemtlt  in  the  book  or  the  Lord  and  read." 
.    "Search  the  scriptures." — John,  v,  39. 

Our  next  subject  is  '  . 

PRIVATE   JUDGMENT. 

Certainly  my  friend  has  thrown  new  light  on  the  extent  to 
which  the  church  of  Rome  permits  the  exercise  of  private  judg- 
ment :  however,  I  cannot  avoid  thinking,  that  the  doctrine  of  the 
church  is  in  substance  this — believe  implicitly  what  the  church 
tells  you. 

The  Douay  Bible  says, 

"  Prove  all  things ;  hold  fast  that  which  is  good."— 1  Thess.  v,  21. 
"  Try  the  spirits,  if  they  be  of  God."— 1  John,  iv,  1. 

IMAGE    WORSHIP. 

"  It  is  lawful  to  express  any  person  of  the  mos!  kol"  Trinilv  k"  certain  si-ns 
none  being  so  rude  as  to  think  that  the  divinity  is'expresscd  by  that  imaire. 
But  let  the  pastors  teach  that  by  them  are  declared  some  properties  or  actions 
wliich  are  attributed  to  God.    The  images  and  relics  of  Christ  and  the  saints 


160 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OF 


^h 


are  to  be  duly  honoured  and  venerated ;  and  in  this  veneration,  those  ars 
venerated  which  are  represented  by  them." — Trent  Catech.  part  iii,  cb.  2,  p. 
302,  Dub.  1816.   Cone.  Trid.  Seas.  25,  de  Invocat. 

The  Douay  Bible  says — 

"  Thou  shait  not  make  to  thyself  any  graven  thing,  nor  the  likeness  of  any 
thing  that  is  in  heaven  above,  or  in  the  eartb  beneath,  nor  of  thttoe  things  that 
are  in  the  waters  under  the  earth ;  thou  Shalt  not  adore  them  nor  serve  thcin." 
— Exod.  XX,  4,  5 :   See  Deut.  iv,  15,  16.   Acts,  xvii,  29. 

All  I  ask  the  church  of  Rome  to  do  is  this — to  write  the  2ncl 
commandment  under  every  image  and  picture,  which  are  objects 
of  worship ;  and  the  common  sense  of  the  votaries  of  the  church 
of  Rome  will  rise  up  and  declare,  that  such  a  practice  is  directly 
opposed  to  the  Word  of  God. 

MEDIATORS. 

The  church  of  Rome  says, 

"There  are  other  mediators  of  intercession  in  heaven  besides  Jesus  Christ; 
suoh  as  angf^ls  and  saints  and  eapecially,  the  Virgin  Mary,  who  is  the  mother 
of  mercy  and  advocatress  of  the  faithful ;  and  it  is  good  and  profitable  to  in- 
voke them,  and  to  have  recourse  to  their  prayers  and  help." — Cone.  Tid.  Sess. 
25,  de  Invocat  &c. 

The  Douay  Bible  says — 

"Jesus  saith  to  him,  I  am  the  truth  and  the  life;  no  man  cometh  to  tho 
Father  but  by  me." — John,  xiv,  6,  see  13th  verse. 

"  There  is  ONE  Mediator  of  God  and  man,  the  man  Christ  Jesus." — 
1  Tim.  ii,  5. 

"Jesus  is  able  also  to  save  for  ever  them  that  come  to  God  by  him,  always 
living  to  make  intercession  for  us." — Hebrews,  vii,  25. 

We  have  already  had  the  subject  of  purgatory  brought  before 
us ;  and  I  am  inclined  to  think,  that  some  who  believed  impHcitly 
in  that  doctrine,  are  shaken  in  the  implicit  character  of  their 
faith  in  it. 

GOOD  wouks. 

A  canon  of  the  church  of  Rome,  quoted  on  a  former  day, 
may  be  thus  condensed — 

"The  good  works  of  justified  persons  are  truly  and  properly  meritorious 
and  duly  worthy  of  eternal  life." — Cone.  Trid.  Sess.  6,  cap.  16,  can.  32. 

The  Douay  Bible  says, 

"By  grace  you  are  saved  through  faith,  and  that  not  ofyourselves,  for  it :» 
the  girt  of  God;  not  of  works,  that  no  man  may  gloir." — Eph.  ii  ch.  8. 

"The  wages  of  sin  is  death,  but  the  grace  of  God  life  everlasting  in  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord." 

Or  more  plainly, 

"The  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." — 
Rom-,  vi,  23. 

"When  you  have  done  oJt  thinga  <hat  are  commanded  you,  say :  wears 
unjyrojitable  servants ;  we  have  doiiC  that  which  we  ought  to  do.*' — Luk% 
svii,  10. 


THE    REFORMATION. 


m 


I  need  not  now  speak  on  transubstantiation- -that  will  be  our 
subject  of  discussion  to-morrow,  you  will  then  see  that  that 
doctrine  can  obtain  no  support  from  Holy  Writ. 

I  pray  you  to  judge  from  this  brief  contrast,  between  the 
doctnnes  of  the  church  of  Rome  and  those  of  the  Bible,  whether 
the  reformo»«  were  not  called  upon  to  separate  from  such  a 
communion. 

But  my  quarrel  with  the  church  of  Rome,  like  that  of  the 
reformers,  is  touching  that  grand  tenet  which  she  has  laboured 
to  set  aside,  justification  by  faith— acceptance  at  the  bar  of  God 
m  dependance  solely  on  the  atoning  blood  of  the  Saviour.     I 
trace  up  the  principal  errors  of  the  church  of  Rome  to  ignorance 
or  rejection  of  this  fundamental  article  of  the  Christian  religion. 
Would  she,  for  instance,  hold  that  good  works  entitle  to  eternal 
life,  if  she  believed  that  "  by  the  deeds  of  the  law  no  flesh  could 
be  justified,"  (Rom.  iii,  20,)  and  that  the  sinner  could  be  s^.ved 
only  by  the  obedience  unto  death  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Ci    ist? 
How  could  the  church  of  Rome  maintain  the  doctrine  of  supere- 
rogation, if  she  acknowledged  that  "  every  mouth  is  shut  and  the 
whole  world  brought  in  guilty  before  God,"  (Rom.  iii,  19,)  and 
that  "cursed  is  everyone  that  continueth  not  in  all  thinn-s  written 
m  the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them  ?"—( Gal.  iii,  10.)     Did  she 
believe  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  to  be  an  all-suflicient  atonement, 
would  she  think  a  purgatorial  fire  necessary  1    If  she  knew  that 
the  blood  of  Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin,  would  she  hold  that 
•  the  soul  stands  in  need  of  an  additional  purgation  I    Could  she 
for  a  moment  entertain  the  notion  of  repeating  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ,  if  He  were  acknowledged  by  her  as  "having  made  by 
"one  oblationof  himself  once  for  all,"  an  end  of  sin,  reconcilia- 
tion for  iniquity,  and  as  having  brought  in  everlasting  righteous- 
ness]    This  grand  doctrine  the  reformers  proclaime{l,^and  for 
the  maintaining  of  it  they  stood  out  from  the  church  of  Rome. 
Luther  deemed  it  the  "articulus  stantis  vel  cadentis  Ecclesia;." 
and  I  say,  let  this  doctrine  be  preached  in  all  its  fulness,  and  w*5 
shall  plant  a  lever  bpneath  the  fortresses  of  Babylon  ;  and  soon 
shall  we  hear  her  sentence  issuing  from  the  throne  of  the  Eter- 
nal, «  Down  with  her,  down  with  her,  even  to  the  ground." 

Such  are  the  reasons  upon  which  I  vindicate  the  Reformation. 
It  IS  not  my  intention  to  justify  every  act  of  the  reformers.  If 
I  should  wish  to  recriminate,  Mr.  Maguire  may  be  assured,  that 
I  have  It  m  my  power,  in  turn,  to  place  in  the  most  awful  point 
of  view,  the  characters  of  those  who  are  recognized  us  the  heads 
of  the  ^church  of  Rome.  There  is,  however,  this  wide  distinc- 
iion-— I  do  not  acknowledge  J^uther  as  the  head  of  my  church  : 
Christ,  the  Lord  over  all,  is  the  head  of  his  mystical  body ;  I 
call  no  man  master  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  term,  and  therefore 

14* 


162 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OP 


am  not  bound  to  follow  men  only  so  far  as  they  follow  Christ, 
much  less  am  1  called  upon  to  justify  every  net  in  the  history  of 
their  lives.  These  are  the  two  grounds,  on  which  I  would  justify 
the  separation  from  the  church  of  Rome,  which  took  place  in 
the  sixteenth  Century  j — first,  thejnoral  condition  of  the  church  of 
Rome — and  secondly,  the  unscripiural  character  of  her  doctrines. 

Mr.  Maguire. — Before  I  proceed  further,  I  beg  leave  here 
to  enter  my  solemn  protest  against  the  decision  of  the  Chair, 
and  the  line  of  conduct  which  has  been  adopted  towards  me. 
I  publicly  and  solemnly  protest  against  it.  It  is  an  obvious  and 
complete  departure  from  the  understanding  and  principles  upon 
which  this  discussion  was  commenced.  Before  I  came  to  Dub- 
lin, I  had  expressly  agreed  and  stipulated  with  Mr.  Pope,  that 
he  should  select  any  three  articles  of  the  Catholic  doctrine  which 
he  pleased,  for  attack — that  I  should  select  three  points  against 
him,  and  that  we  should  thus  act  the  parts  of  plaintiff  and  de- 
fendant reciprocally.  I  appeal  to  the  candour  of  my  Protestant 
auditors,  if  this  were  not  the  express  stipulation  upon  the  faith 
of  which  I  agreed  to  meet  Mr.  Pope  in  this  public  controversial 
discussion.  One  of  the  points  which  I  selected  against  Mr. 
Pope,  was  a  justification  of  the  Protestant  Reformation.  I 
admit  he  was  free  to  bring  forward  every  circumstance  which  he 
could  consistently  urge  in  defence  of  that  schism.  But  is  he, 
on  this  occasion,  instead  of  confining  himself  to  that  single 
point,  to  level  his  attacks  against  all  and  every  one  of  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Catholic  church  ?  Am  I,  in  the  short  period  allotted 
to  me,  expected  to  be  able  to  defend  all  the  doctrines  of  my 
church,  and  to  repel  all  the  calumnies  and  misrepresentations 
which  Mr.  Pope  may  bring  forward  against  her.  I  can  only 
say  that  my  confidence  has  been  abused — that  I  have  been  any 
thing  but  M'ell  treated.  I  shall,  however,  proceed  to  rebut  the 
scandalous  charges  advanced  by  Mr.  Pope,  and  which  he  has 
grounded  upon  the  authority  of  Protestant  historians  exclusively, 
with  the  exception  of  Baronius  and  Bellarmine,  and  upon  the 
testimony  of  historians,  be  it  observed,  deserving  of  little  credit 
upon  this  particular  subject.  I  must  also  remark  that  instead 
of  there  being  only  three  points  on  each  side  for  attack  and 
defence,  mutually,  I  have  only  three  points  at  present,  to  urge 
against  Mr.  Pope,  while  he  has  put  me  on  my  defence  for  fifteen 
or  twenty.  Before  I  proceed  to  defend  the  articles  of  my  creed 
against  the  rigmarole  attack  which  has  been  levelled  at  them  by 
my  opponent,  I  shall  advert  to  one  or  two  facts  which  it,  may 
be  as  well  for  you  to  bear  in  memoiy. 

Mr.  Pope  has  lot  at  all  answered  my  arguments  respecting 
the  proofs  of  the  authenticity,  integrity,  and  inspiration  of  the 


I 


THE    REFORMATION. 


163) 


Bttcred  scriptures.     With  regard  to  the  Sixtine  edition,  I  deny 
that  but  two  copies  of  il  are  in  existence.     I  have  here  the  Six- 
tine  and  Clementine  editions.     A  Roman  Catholic  clergyman 
of  this  city  purchased  a  copy  of  it  exposed  publicly  to  sale  in 
the  city  of  Rome.     I  will  admit  that  Clement  did  not  wish  that 
that  edition  of  the  Bible  should  be  circulated.     Orders  had  been 
given  by  the  council  of  Trent  that  a  pure  and  perfect  edition  of 
the  Latin  Vulgate,  "  quam  emendatissime,"  should  be  prepared 
by  learned   men  under  the  sanction  of  the  sovereisn  pontiff. 
Many  verbal  corruptions  were  to  be  found  in  the  edition  then 
in  common  use,  arising  either  from  the  neglect  of  the  copyists, 
or  from  the  ignorance  of  those  who  endeavoured  to  purify  the 
text.     Now  Sixtus  Quintus  had  previously  taken  upon  him  not 
only  to  make  out  a  pure  copy  of  the  Bible,  but  to  introduce 
changes  from  the  original  Hebrew  and  Greek  editions,  which, 
in  the  opinions  of  St.  Jerome,  St.  Augustin,  and  Dr.  Wall,  a 
Protestant  bishop,  were  not  so  pure  as  the  old  Latin  and  Italian 
translations.     When  Clement  perused  the  edition  of  Sixtus,  he 
ordered  that  it  should  be  purified  according  to  the  ancient  Latin 
and  Italian  translations.     But  I  defy  any  man  to  point  out  a 
substantial   difference   between   the    Clementine   and     Sixtine 
editions.     It  is  curious,  too,  that  in  the  preflice  to  the  Sixtine 
edition,  that  preface  from  which  Mr.  Pope  quoted  with  such 
triumph  the  phrase  "  m  in  minima  particiila,"  it  is  pronounced 
lawful  to  make  verbal  amendments  and  corrections,  but  upon 
condition  that  they  shall  be  introduced  into  the  text,  and  not  put 
in  the  margin,  "aaf  offensionem  populi  vitandam,'' — lest  ths  people 
should  be  scandalized,  not  distinguishing  between  verbal  and 
substantial  alterations.    The  ne  in  minima  particnla,  it  is  obvious, 
relates  to  matters  of  Hxith. 

Mr.  Pope  asserted  that  masses  were  said  for  the  rich  and  not 
for  the  poor.  I  have  the  Missal  here  on  the  table,  and  by  refer- 
ring to  it,  Mr.  Pope,  will  find  that  mass  is  offered  up  for  all  the 
faithful,  living  and  dead,  without  any  reservation  whatever.  In 
the  sacrifice  of  the  mass  we  pray  for  all  Christians,  for  all  infidels, 
heretics,  schismatics— nay,  for  Mr.  Pope  himself.  The  charge 
of  taking  money  comes  with  a  bad  grace  from  the  other  side. 
There  is  a  Protestant  clergyman  in  this  city,  who  is  called 
chaplain  to  the  Virgin  Mary^;  his  income  amounts  to  jGSOO  a 
year,  and  if  the  leases  were  out,  it  would  average  je3,000  per 
annum.  This  was  bequeathed,  some  centuries  ago,  in  order  to 
have  masses  said  for  the  departed  ;  the  masses  are  not  said,  but 
the  Protestant  parson  pockets  the  monev= 

The  important  fact  has  been  established  of  Mr.  Pope's  igno- 
rance of  the  Bitde.  Though  he  has  told  us  he  has  made'  the 
scriptures  his  continual  study,  and  though  he  professed  a  thorough 


^64 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OF 


acquaintance,  both  with  the  Protestant  and  Catholic  versions,  he 
acknowledged  his  ignorance  on  Saturday  of  the  following  text: 
"  And  yet  man  knoweth-not  whether  he  be  worthy  of  love  or  hatred." 
I  can  inform  him  that  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  ninth  chapter  of 
Ecclesiastea.  Between  the  Protestant  and  Catholic  versions  of 
this  text,  there  is  no  substantial  difierence  as  it  runs  thus  in  the 
Protestant  Bible — "  No  man  knoweth  either  love  or  hatred,  by 
all  that  is  before  him."— Mr.  Pope  talked  of  the  Catholic  church 
teaching  that  all  truths  are  not  contained  in  scripture.  I  have 
already  proved,  that  all  truths  are  not  contained  in  the  scriptures; 
and  I  challenge  Mr.  Pope  to  produce  proofs  from  scripture  foi 
five  articles  of  the  Protestant  creed.  But  I  should  recollect 
that  he  throws  the  Protestant  church  entirely  overboard.  1  beg 
leave  to  ask  him,  does  he  consider  the  existence  of  a  church  at 
all  absolutely  necessary,  under  the  Christian  dispensation  ?  Ha 
holds,  it  appears,  the  opinion  of  justification  by  faith  only.  What 
does  St.  Paul  say? 

"If  I  should  have  all  faith,  so  that  I  could  move  mountains,  and  have  not 
charity  I  am  nothing." — 1  Cor.  xiii,  2. 

There  is  an  example  of  fnith  without  charity.    St.  James  says, 
"  What  shall  it  profit,  my  brethren,  if  a  man  say  he  hath  faith,  but  hath  not 
works  ?    Shall  faith  be  able  to  save  him ?  ii,  14.     "For  as  the  body  without 
the  spirit  is  dead ;  so  also  faith  without  works  is  dead." — Ibid.  26. 

If  every  thing  be  contained  in  the  scriptures,  why  has  not  Mr. 
Pope  shown  me  texts  to  prove  the  procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
— baptism,  with  the  sign  of  the  cross,  &c.  Why  was  it  decreed 
by  the  Apostles,  at  the  council  held  in  Jerusalem,  that  it  appeared 
good  to  them  to  abstain  from  all  blood  ?  I  believe  Mr.  Pope 
has  no  objection  to  take  some  good  gravy  occasionally.  In 
doing  so,  he  goes  in  opposition  to  a  positive  command  of  the 
Apostles.  I  have  produced  a  commandment  of  our  Saviour  for 
washing  the  feet,  which  taken  ^t^a^^a  ienorem  verborum,  is  as  posi- 
tive a  commandment  as  any  to  be  found  in  scripture.  Mr.  Pope 
has  endeavoured  to  show,  that  this  was  applicable  to  hot  coun- 
tries, as  if  the  commandments  of  the  Lord  were  to  be  adopted 
according  to  the  difl^erent  temperatures  of  different  countries, 
and  not  applied  to  all  indiscriminately.  Is  it  not  obvious  to 
common  sense,  that  Christ  intended  his  commandments  should 
be  observed  in  cold  as  well  as  in  hot  countries  ?  I  called  on 
my  opponent  to  produce  proofs  from  scripture,  authorizing'  the 
baptism  of  infants.  But  I  should  recollect  that  he  throws  bap- 
tism overboard.  He  adheres  to  justification  by  faith  only.  I 
would  agree  fully  in  the  dogma  with  him  if  the  word  "  only" 
were  removed.  For  what,  I  would  ask,  did  OJod  give  free-v^ill 
to  man  1  And  why  did  our  blessed  Redeemer  enjoin  the  keep- 
ing of  the  commandments  as  a  condition  for  salvation? 


THE    REFORMATION. 


16d 


"But  if  thou  will  enter  into  life,  keep  the  commandments." — Matt, 
chap,  xiv,  17. 

I  now  come  to  Mr.  Pope's  rule  of  faith.  He  will  say,  as  he 
has  said,  that  it  is  contained  in  the  holy  scriptures  alone.  I  beg 
to  ask  my  opponent,  if  the  scriptures  alone  be  his  rule  of  faith, 
is  it  not  necessary  for  us  to  examine  all  the  inspired  books  which 
have  been  wrj^tten?  Does  he  believe  it  necessary  to  know-the 
whole  Bible,  or  a  portion  of  it,  for  salvation]  If  it  be  only 
necessary  to  know  a  portion  of  the  Bible,  I  call  upon  him  to 
produce  his  authority  from  scripture  for  that  belief. 

Mr.  Pope. — It  may  be  well  to  read  and  know  the  whole 
scriptures,  if  a  person  have  the  opportunity  ;  but  I  believe  that  a 
man  can  be  saved  without  reading  the  whole  Bible. 

Mr.  Maguire. — Show  me  a  text  to  justify  that  belief? 

Mr.  Pope. — When  the  Apostle  was  asked,  what  shall  I  do  to 
be  saved '{  he  answered — "  Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  Acts,  xvi,  31.  At  one  period,  only 
the  Old  Testament  was  written. 

Mr.  Maguire. — When  it  only  was  written,  no  person  was 
called  upon  to  found  his  sole  rule  of  faith  upon  it. 

Mr.  Pope. — I  conceive  if  a  person  have  the  opportunity,  it  is 
right  'o  know  all  the  scriptures.  But  a  person  can  be  saved 
without  knowing  the  whole  volume. 

Mr.  Maguire. — So,  if  a  person  read  the  Old  Testament 
merely,  and  is  not  acquainted  with  the  New  Testament,  he  may 
be  saved  1 

Mr.  Pope. — I  will  make  no  such  concession. 

Mr.  Maguire. — I  would  much  rather  you  would  give  us  texts 
of  scripture,  and  not  mere  assertion.  I  never  heard  of  so  loose 
a  doctrine.  I  shall  now  reduce  Mr.  Pope  to  a  dilemma. — If 
the  scriptures  alone  be  his  rule  of  faith,  I  ask  is  it  not  necessary, 
in  that  case,  to  examine  all  the  canonical  books  that  have  been 
written  ?  Now,  all  the  canonical  books  that  have  been  written, 
are  not  to  be  found  in  any  part  of  the  known  world.  God  would 
have  preserved  all  the  inspired  writings,  had  he  intended  that 
the  scriptures  alone  should  be  the  rule  of  our  faith  ;  but  God  has 
not  preserved  all  the  inspired  books  of  scripture,  for  not  less 
than  twenty  have  perished ;  therefore  God  did  not  intend  them 
as  the  only  rule  of  faith — Mr.  Pope  must  admit,  according  to  his 
principles,  that  it  is  necessary  to  examine  all  the  canonical 
books— for  if  not,  how  could  he  ascertain  his  rule  of  faith  ?  there 


166 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OF 


might  happen  to  be  in  these  books,  which  are  lost,  or  which  he 
should  pass  over,  texts  o|>posed  to  his  doctrine,  and  which  per- 
haps expressly  taught  that  the  rule  of  faith  was  not  in  the  scrip- 
tures alone.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  Mr.  Pope  shall  contend  that 
it  is  only  necessary  to  know  a  portion  of  the  Bible,  I  call  upon 
him  to  prove  that  to  me  by  a  positive  text  of  scripture. 

-Now,  again,  either  all  the  inspired  books  'that  have  been 
written  are  necessary  to  form  the  rule  of  our  faith,  or  only  a  part 
is  necessary.  If  Mr.  Pope  shall  assert  that  all  are  necessary, 
then  the  scriptures  are  no  rule  of  faith,  since  all  the  scriptures 
lire  not  to  be  found.  But  if  Mr.  Pope  say,  that  otdy  apart  is 
necessary,  let  him  produce  a  text  of  scripture  to  prove  that  as 
we  cannot  take  his  bare  word  on  mailers  of  such  importance ;  but 
I  defy  Mr.  Popo  to  produce  any  such  text,  therefore  the  scripture 
cannot  be  the  sole  rule  of  faith.  A  living  authority  must  be  left 
to  direct  and  decide  on  matters  of  controversy. 

I  shall  now  show  you  thai  we  have  not  all  the  scriptures.  In 
the  book  of  Numbers,  chap,  xxi,  14,  we  read  thus  : 

"It  is  said  in  the  book  of  the  wars  of  the  Lord." 

Where  is  that  book  ?     Gone. 

In  the  third  book  of  Kings,  (which  Protestants  call  the  first) 
Chron.  iv,  32,  we  read  that 

"Solomon  spoke  three  thousand  proverbs,"  and  "his  canticles  were  a 
thousand  and  hve." 

Where  are  these  ?  What  a  small  portion  of  them  we  have  now. 
In  the  second  book  of  Chronicles,  ix,  29,  it  is  said — 

"Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Solomon,  first  and  last,  are  they  not  written  in 
the  book  of  Nathan  the  pr6phet,  and  in  the  prophecy  of  Ahijah,  and  in  the 
vision  of  Iddo." 

Where  are  all  those  books  1 

The  first  book  of  Chronicles  concludes  with  these  words, 

"  Name  the  acts  of  David  the  king,  first  and  last,  behold  be  they  not  written 
in  the  book  of  Samuel  the  seer,  and  in  the  book  of  Nathan  the  prophet,  and 
in  the  book  of  Gad  the  seer?" 

All  those  prophecies  are  lost. 

In  St.  Paul's  epistle  to  the  Colossians  he  commands  them  lo 
read  in  the  church  the  epistle  to  the  Laodiceans — Where  is  that 
epistle  1     Lost. 

In  St.  Paul's /rs/  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  v,  9,  he  says, 
"  I  wrote  to  you  an  epistle." 

Where  is  the  epistle  which  St.  Paul  wrote  to  them  before  the 
epistle  which  is  now  called  jirs/?  It  is  not  in  existence.  So 
here  we  find  two  epistles  of  St.  Pa'd  lost. 

Si.  Matthew  (and  here  I  may  reiiuu  k  that  the  original  Hehtm 
gospel  of  St.  Mattliew  is  quite  lost.    I  should  like  lo  know  undei 


THE    REFORMATION. 


167 


•uch  circumstances,  how  a  Protestant  can  found  his  faith 

upon  the  gospel  of  St.  Matthev,  which  is  lost,  unless  he  depena 
vponthe  aulhorilij  of  an  infallible  iranslalor) — St.  Matthew,  I  say, 
xxvii,  9,  cites  words  as  spoken  by  the  prophet  Jeremy,  which 
are  not  to  be  found  in  any  part  of  Jeremy  now  extant.  Where- 
fore, part  of  Jeremy  the  prophet  is  lost,  as  Cotrzein  in  this  place 
proves  out  of  2  Chron.  xxxv,  20.  St.  Matthew  also,  ii,  23,  says, 
"  It  was  spoken  by  the  prophets  he  sliall  be  called  a  Nazarenc." 
The  books  of  the  prophets  who  spoke  thus  have  also  perished, 
for  we  find  Christ  never  called  a  Nazarene  in  all  the  prophets' 
books  at  present  extant  St.  Chrysostom  on  this  place,  (llomil. 
ix,  in  Matt,  i,)  says, 

"  Many  of  the  prophetical  monuments  have  perished  ;  for  the  Jews  being 
careless,  and  not  only  careless,  but  also,  impious,  they  have  carelessly  loal 
some  of  these  monuments ;  others,  they  have  partly  burnt,  partly  torn  in 
pieces." 

Here  we  find  twenty  books  of  scripture  lost.  Will  Mr.  Pope 
show  that  none  of  those  lost  books  are  necessary,  when  he  ac- 
knowleges  no  church,  and  asserts  that  the  Bible  is  his  sole  rule 
of  faith  ?  Mr.  Pope  talks  much  about  his  rule  of  faith,  and  yet 
he  cannot  tell  where  it  is  to  be  found.  If  he  say  that  the  scrip- 
tures are  not  to  be  had — that  a  portion  of  scripture  is  only 
necessary  for  salvation,  let  him  produce  to  me  a  positive  text 
of  scripture  to  that  effect — for  I  allow  nothing  but  -a  positive  text 
of  scripture  to  decide  upon  such  a  vitally  important  point.  I 
challenge  him  to  show  where  his  sole  rule  of  faith  is  to  be  found. 
But  he  cannot  produce  any  text  to  prove  that  all  the  scriptures 
are  not  necessary,  or  that  a  portion  of  them  is  sufficient,  for 
salvation.  Mr.  Pope  has  had  recourse  to  the  Fathers  to  prove 
the  authenticity  of  scripture,  though  he  rejected  their  authority 
when  quoted  by  me  in  support  of  the  doctrine  of  purgatory. 

I  have  shown  from  seventeen  holy  Fathers  down  to  the  sixth 
century,  that  the  doctrine  of  purgatory  was  retained  and  professed 
throughout  the  Catholic  church.  He  has  quoted  St.  Jerome  in 
proof  of  the  authority  and  authenticity  of  the  sacred  scriptures. — 
But  when  I  quote  Jerome  and  the  other  Fathers  in  support  of 
the  doctrine  of  purgatory,  they  are  very  consistently  rejected  by 
Mr.  Pope.  He  talked  of  Hebrew.  I  venture  to  say  he  is  un- 
acquainted with  the  Hebrew  points.  He  spoke  of  the  original 
Hebrew  copies.  Would  it  not  be  necessary  for  the  ignorant 
Protestant,  according  to  the  principles  of  Mr.  Pope  to  compare 
all  the  Hebrew,  Greek,  and  Latin  copies  of  the  scriptures,  before 
he  could  be  satisfied  of  their  inspiration  ?  All  the  proofs  which 
Mr.  Pope  has  advanced,  of  the  inspiration  of  the  sacred  scrip- 
tures, rest  upon  human  authority,  and  no  act  of  faith  can  be 
built  upon  such  a  foundation.     Mr.  Pope  certainly  spoke  of  an 


168 


THK    JUSTIFICATION    OF 


ihternal  evidence.  Now,  if  that  be  admitted,  it  must  be  admitted 
as  a  first  principle.  It  is  denied,  and  ridiculed  by  the  learned 
Chillingworth,  a  Protestant  divine,  who,  in  reply  to  the  words 
of  his  adversary,  "  That  the  divinity  of  a  writing  cannot  be 
known  by  itself  alone,  but  by  some  extrinsic  authority,"  says, 
This  you  need  not  prove,/or  no  wise  man  dmies  it." 

If  it  were  a  first  principle  and  self-evident,  as  Mr.  Pope  would 
have  it,  who  would  deny  it?  The  truth  of  first  principles  no 
rational  man  ever  doubted.  But  millions  of  Christians  deny 
the  doctrine  of  internal  evidence.  The  Arians,  the  Manichseans, 
the  Marcionists,  &c,  all  denied  internal  evidence.  The  Catholics 
throughout  the  whole  world  for  eighteen  hundred  years,  could 
not  discover  this  inward  light,  but,  on  the  contrary,  have  loudly 
protested  against  the  doctrine  of  internal  illumination,  since  that 
new  system  has  been  broached.  It  cannot,  therefore,  be  a  first 
principle,  which  Chillingworth  himself  and  millions  of  Christians 
unequivocally  denied.  //  is  onhj  a  foolish  and  visionary  scheme^ 
to  which  those  who  have  no  better  resort,  to  prove  the  inspiration  of 
the  sacred  scriptures. 

Mr.  Pope. — Gentlemen — I  need  scarcely  observe,  that  my 
friend  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  table  has  been  speaking  on  the 
subject  which  belonged  to  the  second  day  of  the  iiieeting.  Mr. 
Maguire  has  protested  against  the  line  of  our  present  proceeding. 
He  has  spoken  much  of  obedience  to  authority ;  and,  surely, 
when  the  chairmen  decided,  he  was  bound,  according  to  his  own 
principles,  to  bow  to  their  decision.  I  submit  to  every  man  of 
common  sense,  whether  the  line  of  argument,  adopted  by  me  on 
this  occasion,  was  not  perfectly  justifiable — namely,  to  show 
that  the  peculiar  doctrines,  held  by  the  church  of  Rome,  were 
anti-scriptural,  and  that  the  Reformers  were,  in  consequence, 
called  upon  to  separate  from  her  communion.  How  could  this 
charge  have  been  substantiated  without  the  consideration  of  the 
doctrines  themselves  ?  My  friend  should  remember,  that  not 
satisfied  with  the  abstract  question  of  private  judgment  for  the 
second  day,  he  selected  two  or  three  other  topics  of  debate — 
the  right  of  private  judgment,  to  pronounce  upon  the  canonicity, 
integrity,  authenticity,  and  interpretation  of  the  holy  scriptures. 
The  second  day  was  the  time  set  apart  for  the  consideration  of 
those  subjects.  My  friend  seemed  to  state,  that  he  held  in  his 
hand  the  Sixtine  edition  of  the  Vulgate,  but  I  say,  that  the  edition 
which  he  produced,  is  the  Clementine. 

[Here  Mr.  Maguire  called  upon  Mr.  O'Reilly,  into  whoso 
hands  he  said  that  he  had  given  the  Sixtine  copy  for  the  purpose 
of  bringing  it  to  the  meeting.] 


THE    REFORMATION.  IQQ 

»i  /l***  ?°' «T:^  ^l^  ^°  '■®'"'*'''*'  '^^*  ««  g''eat  »s  the  scarcity  of 
the  Sixtine  Bible,  that  the  Jesuit  Fisher  not  merely  denied  that 
any  were  in  existence,  but  stated,  that  Sixtus  V,  had  not  pub- 
ished  any  ed.tion  of  the  Vulgate  whatever!     Masses.  M-e  are 
told,  are  generally  offered  for  rich  and  poor :  but,  if  they  be 
ottered  m  this  general  way,  why,  I  would  ask,  why  should  the 
Friests  take  money  specially  from  the  rich  ?    My  friend  brouaht 
forward  a  passage,  "  Faith    without   charily  is  dead."     The 
Apostles,  I  admit,  speak  of  such  a  faith  ;  but  it  was  merely  such 
as  enabled  an  individual  to  work  miracles,  and  yet  left  him  unin- 
fluenced by  the  grace  of  God.     The  genuini  faith  of  GoTs 
people  "purifies  the  heart,"  (Acts  xv.  9.)  works  by  love,  (Gal. 
V,  6,    and  overcomes  the  world  (1  John  v,  4.)  enabling  the 
Chrislian  to  act  in  consistency  with  his  profession,  and  is  there- 
fore the  grand  germ  of  spiritual  life,  and  the  parent  of  Christian 
morality.     Although  the  difference  may  appear  trivial  between 
being  justified  by  la.th  and  by  fi.ith  alone,  in  truth  the  distinction 
^.I™  ?  r'Tr'^^"*-     '^  '^?  scriptures,  I  am  asked,  be  the  only 
rule  of  faith,  are  we  not  then  obliged  to  be  acquainted  with  all 
he  scriptures,  lest  one  part  should  contradict  another.     I  meet 
the  question,  and  say.  God  never  contradicts  himself;  he  never 
varies,  bu    ,s  the  same  yesterday,  to-day  and  for  ever :  that 

table.  My  friend  has  observed,  that  if  all  the  scriptures  need 
not  be  examined,  then  all  are  not  necessary.  I  answer,  that  it 
.s  th,.  duty  of  all  men.  if  they  have  opportunity,  to  read  all  he 

(and    n  order  to  do  so.  they  need  the  influence  of  the  Hol^ 
Spirit)  they  will  be  accepted  through  him  at  the  bar  of  God. 
Mv"^fHpn7r^  not  have  read  every  part  of  the  sacred  volume 
whih  h^  spoken  about  sundry  books  that  have  been  lost, 

xxhich.he  says,  formed  part  of  the  inspired  records,  and  has 
directed  our  attention  to  passages  of  the  Bible,  which  allude  to 
other  writings.  But  the  onus  rests  on  him.  before  his  argument 
can  carry  any  weight,  to  prove  that  the  books  of  which  he  speaks 
o?Yn  ±r^  '"  ^  sacred  canon-that  they  were  the  dfctatS 
ot  inspiration,  and  not  portions  of  mere  ordinary  history,  which 

in  the  canonical  writings.     I  would  also  beg  to  observe,  that 
my  friend  believes  in  tradition  and  infallibility.^  Roman  Catholic 

SrS  T"™'"^  'Y  '^'  '^''''''^'  ^^"^^J^  ^as  infaUible.  are  n 

tiLn  lith  '"■^"'"°  from  analogy,  that  the  church  of  Rome  is 

f  ^n^n/rlS^i  '^''y-    J^^^^S  Mr,  Maguire  on  this 

.  „.„^^  ^^.jjg  jjjQ  y^^  oi  infaliibiiity  to  the 

of  Z  OliT^'/^  ''  ?"*^"^*  ^"^^^^'^ '»  P'-^^^^g  the  canon 
of  the  Old  Testament,  perfect  and  entire !     Furthef-the  onus 

10 


i70 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OV 


rests  on  him  to  show,  that  either  the  written  tradition,  or  the 
viva  voce  exposition  of  the  church  of  Rome,  has  supplied  the 
portion  which,  Mr.  Maguire  says,  has  heen  lost,  or  perfectly 
accords  with  it.  Now  I  take  the  sacred  scriptures  which  we 
possess,  and  with  them  I  contrast  the  ♦iiJItl^^ns  of  tlio  Unman 
Catholic  church,  and  fiiuling  that  they  are  in  opposition  to  the 
oracles  of  truth,  I  conclude  that  (hey  arv  utn  of  (Jod  ;  for  God 
cannot  contra-iict  himself.  My  friend  did  not  like  that  I  should 
refer  to  the  Fathers  on  the  canonicity  and  authenticity  of  the 
scriptures.  I  admit  their  authority  as  credible  testimony — but 
not  as  infallible.  We  must  be  convinced,  that  when  the  scrip- 
tures are  quoted  by  very  ancient  writers,  they  m\v<  ai  icusiiuive 
been  coeval  with  the  authors  who  cite  passages  f/om  them.  I 
appeal  to  the  Fathers,  to  prove  by  their  historical  evidence  the 
authenticity  of  the  scriptures.  This  kind  of  evidence  in  support 
of  the  scriptures,  is  much  more  powerful  than  that  in  favour  of 
any  other  ancient  record.  It  matters  not  very  much  for  my 
argument,  as  to  the  antiquity  of  the  sacred  volume,  whether  the 
character  of  the  Fathers  who  quote  from  it,  be  good  or  evil. 
Mr.  Maguire  hd^^  allowed  the  authority  of  the  Fathers,  as  faith- 
ful witnesses. 

My  friend  on  the  opposite  side  has  scouted  the  idea  of  in- 
ternal evidence.  If  God  has  said,  that  his  invisible'  attributes 
are  to  be  discerned  by  his  works. 

"  For  the  invisible  things  of  him  from  tho  creation  of  the  world  are  clearly 
seen,  being  understood  by  the  things  tiiat  are  made,  his  eternal  power  also 
and  divinity." — Rom.  i,  20. 

And  if  it  be  true  that  "  God  has  magnified  his  word  above  all 
his  name,"  (Ps.  cxxxviii,  2,)  may  we  not  expect  that  the  Deity 
has  stamped,  in  an  especial  manner,  upon  this  page  of  Revela- 
tion, the  impress  of  his  own  divine  character  l  Mr.  Maguire 
has  observed,  that,  according  to  my  showing,  God  hus  not 
provided  for  the  spiritual  wants  of  all  mankind.  I  return  the 
argument — is  not  the  poor  man,  according  to  his  principles,  in 
a  worse  condition  than  he  would  be,  according  to  mine  ?  Is 
the  poor  man  to  have  recourse  to  councils  and  Fathers  ?  Again 
I  stand  on  firmer  ground.  Mr.  Maguire,  in  order  to  prove  the 
truth  of  the  Bible,  must,  according  to  his  principles,  first  prove 
the  authority  of  the  church,  and  refer  the  poor  man  to  innun)er- 
able  folios.  I  have  only  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  to  put  the 
sacred  scriptures  into  the  hands  of  those  whom  I  address,  at  the 
same  time  adding,  if  necessary,  some  arguments  in  support  of 
their  internal  evidence.  One  reason  which  may  convince  every 
..nr.>.f>.ni/i!(«,er|  rnind  that  God  intended  his  word  to  rest  for  sunnort 
principally  upon  internal  evidence,  is  the  fiict,  that  few  would  be 
able  to  examine  the  general  proofs  in  support  of  the  inspired 


THE    RRFORMATION. 


171 


Tolur.ie.     Cod  has  rhosen  many  of  the  poor  of  this  world  to  be 
l)ii;ihf  ^'etns  in  the  Siiviour's  diadem  ;  und  when  we  know  that 
the  great  bulk  of  matikiiid  arc  doomed  to  lubous  die  liu  t  fur- 
nishes IIS  with  a  pre.suin|)tive  »i<;uiiient  in  favour  of  the  proofs, 
winch  rest  on  inlernal  evidence,  us  beinj,'  open  to  evj-ry  iiuli- 
viuir.d  who  seriously  exaniine.s  the  sacred  oracles.     My  friend 
has  said,  that  I  was  afraid  of  the  Fatfiers  in  lefen  nee  to  pni <;a- 
toiy— permit  me  to  say,  that  was  I  not  afraid  to  meet  him  on  tlie 
grounds  of  the   Fathers  ;   I  had  various  other  quotations  from 
then-  writin<,'s  ;    And  licre  allow  me  to  observe,  that  mv  opponent 
q  loted  a  passaije  from  Cyprian's  letter  to  Antonian— "  It  is  one 
tin  ijr  to  be  waitin<!;  for  pardon,  another  to  attain  ^doiy,"  &c,  &.c. 
It  has  nothin<r  to  do  with  pnifratory.     The  church  hud  relaxed 
some  penitential  censures  against  those  who  had  fallen  in  ()er. 
secution;  and   St.  Cyprian  was  defending  this  measure,  and 
proving  that  the  state  of  the  martyrs  entering  at  once  into  glory 
was  so  much   superior  to  the  miseries  of  the  laps,  d,  who  were 
anxiously  expecting  re-admission  into  the  church,  and  must  feel 
anxiety  about  a  future   state,  that  there   was  no  danger  to  be 
anticipated  from  the  relaxation— this  he  shows  by  addmg  "it  is 
one  thing  to  expect  with  anxiety  the  judgment  of  the  Lord  in  the 
day  of  judgment— another  to  be  crowned  by  the  Lord."     Ri- 
galtius,  a  Roman  Catholic  commentator,  gives  this  explan.^.ion. 
Further,  in  reference  to  the  Fathers.     Most  of  the  quotations 
adduced  by  Mr.  Maguire  do  not,  I  imagine,  support  the  doctrine 
of  purgatory  :   they  refer  to  oblations  for  the  dead  ;  but  those 
oblations  for  the  dead  were  not  offered  for  souls  in  purgatory. 
In  the  primitive  church  a  practice  existed  of  making  Ihanks- 
^givings  and  offerings  for  those  who  had  departed  in  the  faith. 
As  Mr.  Maguire  has  quoted  a  passage  from  .Sir  Edwin  Sandys, 
he  can  have  no  objection  to  my  reading  an  extract  <     two  from 
the  same  author.     Sir  Edwin  gives  us  the  .    Iowuk-  general 
view  of  the  church  of  Rome,  p.  35  : —  '^ 

''This  being  the  main  ground  work  of  their  policy;  and  the  general  means 
to  build  and  cstal.hsh  it  in  the  minds  of  all  men  ;  the  partiiular  ways  they  liold 
to  rivish  all  .iffnlions,  imd  to  fil  each  humor  (which,  their  jnriydietion  and 
power  bein^  but  persuii.ive  and  ,kintary,  they  principally  repaid),  are  well 
ni,rh  inhnite;  there  being  not  thing  (ither  sacied  or  profane,  no  virtue 

nor  vice  ahiu.st,  no  t/unga  of  h -.  contrary  condiuon  soever;  which  they 
make  not  in  sonn'  art  to  serve  ti.  it  turn  ;  that  acli  fancy  may  be  satislirJ 
ai  each  appetite  imd  wliat  to  feed  on.  Whats  -r  either  wealth  can  sw,. 
wi.  i  the  lover.i,  or  voluntary  poverty  with  the  despisers,  of  the  world  •  what 
honour  with  the  ambitious;  what  obedience  wiili  the  huinb'e  •  what  ^reat 
empluymont  with  slirring  and  mettled  spirits;  v 'lat  nerpetual  quiet  "with 
heavy  and  resUve  bodies;    what  content  the  pleasan     nature  can  lake  in 

r)iistiinp<4   ant]    tnllitv  ■    ii'lint    r>^iif r'sfiixi'-^r)    *\^^  <^*i-* -         -i    :         i-       •     i*  • 

■."■    """    -•■"   .' v.-     t,r,.V,..,rf    ttit  RilrsL-ir  ::;::;:i    iij    tllSCipnnC  and 

rigour;  what  hwe  either  chastity  can  raise  in  the  purr,  or  vohipfuousnePS  in 
the  dissolute;  what  allurements  are  in  knowledge  to  dr:ivv  tiie  conttmplative 
K  m  actions  of  state  to  possess  the  practic  dispositions,  what  with  th« 


V.- 


173 


THE    JUSTIFlCATIOIt    OF 


hopeful  prtro^titivo  of  reward  can  work  ;  what  errors,  doubts,  and  danwert 
with  tho  fearful ;  what  rhan^eof  vows  willi  tht;  rufh,  of  estate  with  tho  inron- 
staiit;  wluit  pardons  with  tlic  faulty,  or  i,u|»phf9  with  l\\v  dclVotivc;  what 
inirailcH  with  thu  crcduioUH;  what  visions  with  lin;  fantastical;  wiiat  «:or- 
g«'ouHncss  of  shows  with  the  vui<;ur  and  simple ;  what  itmltilud^  of  eironionies 


with  tlio  siiporstitoiis  and  itjnorant ;  what  prayrr  with  the  dovoii*,  what  «ith 

Iho  charitabiiMvorks  of  pit'ty  ;  wliuf,  nilcs  of  hi^iier  n 

afli'ctions  ;   what  diapcnsin/ii:  of  breach  of  all  rules  with  men  of  lawless  eondi 


tionn:  in  sum,  what  thing  soever  <an  jirevail  wilii  any  man  either  lor  hini.Mtlf 
to  pursue,  or  at  least-wise  to  love,  reverenee,  or  honour  in  another  (for  (vtn 
therein  also  timn'a  nature  receivcth  great  satisfaetion),  tho  same  is  found  with 
them,  not  as  in  other  places  of  the  \vorld,  by  easiiaiity  blended  witluiut  oi  der, 
and  of  niccssity,  but  sorted  in  great  part  into  several  professions,  coiuite- 
nanced  with  leputation,  honoured  with  preroiiativt  s.faeililattd  with  provisions, 
and  yearly  niaintenance,  and  either  (as  tiic  bettor  thinns)  advanced  with 
cxpeetafiun  of  reward,  or  borne  v.  illi,  how  bad  soever,  with  sweet  and  siUnt 
permission.  What  pomp,  what  riot,  to  that  of  their  cardinals?  what  st  verity 
of  life  comparable  to  their  hermits  and  capuchins?  who  wealthier  than  their 
prelates?  who  poorer  by  vow  and  profession  tlian  their  mendicants?  On 
the  one  side  of  the  street  a  cloister  of  viriiiiis,  on  the  other  a  sty  of  courttzans 
with  public  toleration;  this  day  all  in  masks,  with  all  leosentss  and  foolery: 
to-morrow  all  in  processions,  \vhippin<T  themsilves  till  the  blood  follow;  on 
one  door  an  cxcominunication,  tinowini;  to  hell  all  trans>iressors:  on  another 
a  jubilee,  or  full  discharo;e  from  all  transr;ression».  VSho  Uarneder  in  all 
kind  of  sciences  than  their  Jesuits  ^  "What  thiiii;  more  i<;iiorant  than  their 
ordinary  mass-priests?  What  p:ince  so  able  to  prefer  his  servants  and 
followers  as  tho  Pope,  and  in  so  <in  at  nuiltitudo?  Who  able  to  take  deeper 
or  readier  revenge  on  his  enrmiea?  What  [iiide  equal  unto  his,  makma 
kin2;s  kiss  his  pantofle?  what  humility  };icat(T  than  his,  shrivinsr  himsci? 
daily  on  his  knees  to  an  ordinary  priek?  \\  ho  diffieultcr  in  despatch  of 
causes  to  the  greatest?  who  easier  in  i^iving  audience  to  the  meanest  ?  Where 
greater  rigour  in  (he  world  in  acting  the  observation  of  the  church  laws? 
where  less  care  or  conscieuce  of  the  commandments  of  God  ?  To  taste  ilcsh 
on  a  Friday,  where  susjiicion  might  fasten,  were  a  matter  for  the  inquisition  ; 
whereas,  .11  the  other  side,  the  Sunday  is  one  of  their  greatest  maiket-days. 
To  coneludo:  never  state,  never  government  in  the  woild  so  strangely  com- 
pacted of  infinite  contrarietieSj  all  tending  to  entertain  the  several  humours 
of  all  men,  and  to  work  what  kind  of  effects  soever  they  shall  desire;  where 
rigour  and  lemissneBS,  cruelty  and  lenity,  are  so  combined,  that,  with  neglect 
of  the  cinirch,  to  stir  aught  is  a  sin  unpardonable ;  whereas  with  duty  towaids 
the  church,  and  by  intercession  for  her  allowance,  with  respective  attendance 
of  hrr  pleasure,  no  law  almost  of  God  or  nature  so  sacrrd,  which,  one  way 
or  other,  they  find  not  means  to  dispense  with,  or  at  least-wise  peimit  the 
breaeh  of,  by  connivance  and  without  disturbance\" — Pa;Le  34,  et  seq. 

"Eiiropffi  Speculum,  or,  a  View  or  Survey  of  the  slate  of  Religion  in  the 
v^-estern  paits  of  the  world:  wherein  the  Roman  Religion,  and  pregnant 
policies  of  the  churcli  of  Rome  to  support  the  same,  are  notably  displayed  ; 
with  SOUK  other  memorable  discoveries  and  commemorations."— Lond.  1C32. 

Sir  Edwin  Sandys  jjives  the  following  description  of  the  slate 
of  religion  in  Italy  in  his  time  : — 

"The  vyhole  country  is  strangely  overflown  and  overborne  with  wickedness, 
with  filtliiness  of  speech,  with  beastliness  of  actions;  both  covernois  and 
subje«ts — both  priests  and  friars,  each  striving  as  it  were  with  other  in  an 
i!e.i"'!!fientne?s  tiierein  ;  even  fo  f:;f  fo;i'i,  thiu  wliut  ciRewhere  wouiu  liot  be 
tolerated,  is  there  in  iiigh  honour — what  in  some  other  places  ev(  n  a  loose 
person  would  be  ashamed  to  confess,  their  priests  and  friais  refrain  not  openly 
to  practi8e."~P.  19. 


tl 

h 


it 
C 
di 


Ml 


THE    REFORMATIOIf. 


173 


fipiJif  li";  P'  !^^'    "  '*.  t""  ^"''''•' '""  '"  "P'""'*'  y«*.  'he  thciirht  of  it  must 

in  ail  i.iarcs— ilicn.  in„st,  w|,o,e  tlio  pai.ncy  in  moat  in  Ins  iiri...,— «.|.,  i 

country;  iMit  to  nmnc  or  tl.mk  nnrroMliy  of  the  Crt-ulor  of  tliu  woru    to 
proceed  (roin  u  timrrous  bise-inindcdnoss  and  al.j.xtness.''  '    ° 

Sir  Edwin  Sandys  also  describes  the  state  of  relinon  in  Snain 

m  ln..nno      Tlv.ugh  Mr.  Maguire  objected  to  .ii.^autboiuro? 

Ml.  WInte,  he  cannot  reluse  to  admit  thiU  of  Sir  Edwin  Sandys. 

"The  next  is  Spain,  rcpnfcd  xolwlly  the  Pope's  also,  as  huvin-  hecn  a  lon-r 

time  jrov.-rncd  by  tlie  mo.td.voted  kinir,  and  /«/rrer  c.irbe^l  in'l  .^fL   .     J? 

f  ,^/.^.  'T'vi"  !"''  ?•'■  ''^"^\«-'«'''^'»  to  ^tnv  the  increase  of  Z!\',,  ,' 
cunLers  o  AJahon.edan.sn,  and  Judaism,  whid,  threaten  the  tin  I  daiv  a  d 
eutino;  ouf  of  Chn-iKinism."— Pp.  ig:5,  164.  ^' 

"There  is  in  Spain  a  sort  ol  people  of  the  Marrany,  aMhcv  term  thrm 

nntnVll"p!''\''''''''^^''''°"''''""'""  ^''«'"''"lv«"S  in  some  sort  ofoutwa.d  show 
i  Im  m  r  'nf''"  "-'.''^"^"'.y';'  '"•^'  "'""^''t  i"  h.^ul  to  be  utterly  ave  o  Z 
,  and  to  retain  an  inward  desire  to  return  to  .hat  superstition  fro  n  w  .  h 
heir  ancestors  by  nyonr  and  terror  were  driven  ;  and  th e  tw.  i^l  "  v  i^ 
Italy  that  there  come  divers  Spaniards  to  them  to  1 "  ci  emncisTd  ite  l  d 
80  away  to  Constantinoj.Io  to  plant  in  the  ea.st."-Pp.  164,  iS 

I  shall  not  occupy  your  tiine  with  other  quotations.  You  will 
doubtless  ask,  how  could  such  passa^res  occur  in  a  work  which 
apparently  advocated  the  chu.-ch  of  llo.ne.  Sir  Edwin  Sand,,s 
gacel/ie  salemenl  w/nc/i  Mr.  Magnire  read  from  his  works  mere/,, 
as  Ihe  allegalions  of  Roman  Catholic  ecclesiastics  in  support  of 
their  syslem.*  You  shall  see  whether  this  charge  is  not  tbund/d 
upon  tact.  In  page  24,  Sir  Edwin  Sandys  begins  a  sketch  of 
the  arginnents  which  Roman  Catholics  en.ploy  in  advocat.n<. 
the  church  of  Rome ;  and  after  having  .given  the  sketcii.  he 
adds  in  page  33  : 

"TJiis  is  the  main  course  of  their  persuading  at  this  dav  u-hornKv  fl.^,. 
seek  to  establish  that  former  foundatfon:  in  thi/unSdin  '  wl^^.re"f  I^  2 
been  the  on^er,  because  trial  hath  taught  me,  that  not  by  some  ner'  private 
election  but,  as  it  should  seem,  by  common  order,  direction,  or  cons'n  t!  oy 
have  n  Imquished  all  other  courses,  and  hold  them  to  this,  as  the  most  efT x^ 
!£r  *de"^n:  "  ""  ""^  '^  •"""^^""'  ''  '"^'"^^  ^''-•-  ^-i-,  and  to  woik 

Here  is  "  iniquifas  quotationis."— Hear  it  gentlemen  !  After 
this  e.r;jos6.  I  ask,  13  Mr.  Maguire  justified  in  boasting,  as  he 
has  done,  of  his  quotations  having  been  taken  from  the  originals  f 

-  A  dohate  mi  Uio  above  quotation  havin?  arisen   vi?  \vhpfh«»r  \rr  M..„„i  .   j 

t  as  pat  hytoii.elioally.  as  it  is  in  the  work  fm  n  "'i.Icb  1  rt„„k  it   n«m^^  7T^^^ 

Comparatuc  View,  or  not ;  so.ne  gentlemen  afli,  m,  f  luTi  i^  d  1  ar  d  v^-'no  t  ,'^t'"h« 
<iid  not-u  wa^:  agreed  that  the  text  should  stand,  anH  that  this  nota  should  be  add.'i 

15* 


174 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OP 


I  have  brought  him  to  one  original,  and  you  have  now  seen, 
how  ill  his  quotation  hears  the  test  of  such  an  exan\ination! 

I  come  more  immediately  to  the  question,  and  I  call  distinctly 
upon  Mr.  Maguire  to  do  so.  He  is,  perhaps,  reserving  some 
Beemingly  plausible  arguments  for  the  last  half  horn*,  when  he 
knows  that  no  opportunity  will  be  afforded  me  of  replying.  I  call 
on  him  to  relinquish  this  ruse  lic  guerre.  He  may  be  satisfied 
with  the  manoeuvre,  in  which  he  succeeded  the  first  day,  when, 
by  speaking  at  one  time  but  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  he  deprived  me 
of  the  advantage  of  closing  the  business  of  the  day;  while  he 
had  an  opportunity  of  addressing  the  meeting  in  speeches  ex- 
ceeding by  one  those  which  I  delivered.  I  now  call  on  him  to 
come  like  a  man  lO  —  question  :  let  him  not  raise  a  dust,  and 
then  hide  the  subject  behind  the  cloud  which  he  has  created. 

I  have  shown  that  the  reformers  were  justified  in  their  separ- 
ation from  the  church  of  Rome,  by  the  debased  moral  condition 
of  that  church  as  well  as  by  the  unscriptural  nature  of  her  doc- 
trines. Mr.  Maguire  has  asserted,  that  my  quotations,  as  to  the 
immoial  character  of  the  church  of  Rome,  were  from  Protestant 
writers.  1  beg  leave  to  state,  that  the  authors  whose  testimonies 
I  brought  forward,  were  Roman  Catholics.  Let  Mr.  Maguire 
show  that  his  church  was  not  in  error :  let  him  show  that  her 
doctrines  were  scriptural :  and  then  I  shall  admit  that  the  refor- 
mers were  not  justified  in  separating  from  her  communion.  Mr. 
Maguire  will  talk  much  of  the  evils  of  concession,  of  private 
judgment,  and  fanaticism,  which,  he  will  maintain,  were  exhib- 
ited at  the  time  of  the  Reformation.  We  shall  hear,  doubtless, 
of  the  character  of  Henry  VHI,  of  Luther,  and  of  others  ;  but 
I  now  say  to  Mr.  Maguire,  come  to  the  point,  and  do  not  evade 
the  question.  You  stand  before  an  enlightened  assembly  :  the 
PKOPLE  of  Ireland  are  becoming  daily  wiser;  they  will  see, 
believe  me,  on  whose  side  sophistry  exists,  and  Mill  distinguish 
empty  unfounded  assertions  from  solid  proofs;  nor  will  (hey  suffer 
boasts  to  pass  for  argument.  Let  Mr.  Maguire  then  meet  me  on 
the  point  at  issue.     I  stand  ready  to  vindicate  the  Reformation. 

Mr.  Maguire. — T  never  before  saw  the  superiority  of  close 
argument  so  triumphantly  displayed — has  Mr.  Pope  ever  glanced 
at  the  questions  which  I  put  to  him  so  repeatedly  and  so 
pointedly?  I  inquired  from  him  the  scriptural  foundation  upon 
which  a  Protestant  can  build  an  act  of  faith :  /  expected — you 
expected,  no  doubt,  a  distinct  answer  to  the  question — has  he 
dared  to  give  it  .<'  Protestants  and  Catholics,  I  beseech  you  to 
look  to  that.  Let  the  fact  be  recorded  and  go  forth  to  the  world. 
He  has  quoted  from  Fra  Paolo,  who  was  no  Catholic,  and  w  hom 
Jtiflhop  Burnett  calls  a  Calvinistic  heretic. 


The  Jansenists  havo 


THE    REFORMATION. 


176 


been  condemned  by  the  Catholic  church,  and  it  is  not  fair  to 
quote  them  against  me.  The  only  Catholica  to  whom  he  re- 
ferred, were  Baronius  and  Bishop  Fisher. 

Protestants  and  Catholics,  1  again  beseech  you  to  remark, 
that  my  opponent  has  not  attempted  to  answer  the  arguments 
which  I  addressed  to  him  relative  to  the  scriptures :  he  has 
indeed  made  an  eloquent  harangue  upon  the  necessity  of  the 
Reformation — I  shall  satisfy  you  on  that  subject  before  1  have 
done.  It  is  foolish  to  endeavour  to  escape  from  my  direct  ar- 
guments by  such  an  artifice.  I  may  remark  to  Mr.  Pope,  that 
in  quoting  historians,  he  should  resort  to  those  of  approved 
character,  and  well  established  veracity.  I  repeat  my  challenge 
to  Mr.  Pope  to  answer  the  arguments  which  I  brought  forward 
relative  to  the  scriptures.  I  spoke  of  the  scriptures  which  have 
been  lost :  Mr.-  Pope  attempted  to  throw  discredit  on  them, — 
he  said  they  were  mere  histories,  and  not  inspired.  I  ask, 
would  they  have  been  referred  to  as  holy  booics,  in  the  genuine 
and  inspired  writings  and  recommended  there,  if  thoy  were  not 
egiially  inspired?  If  they  be  mere  histories,  as  Mr.  Pope  would 
have  you  believe,  then  the  inspired  writers  must  have  been  guilty 
of  fraud  in  referring  to  them.  Mr.  Pope  includes  in  his  sweeping 
denunciation,  the  two  epistles  cf  St.  Paul,  which  I  proved  to 
have  been  lost.  Will  Mr.  Pope  say,  that  they  too  were  mere 
histories  ? — Will  he  dare  to  dispute  their  inspiration  ? — Mr. 
Pope,  one  would  think,  wishes  to  C'';nvert  religion  and  scripture 
into  mere  history.  I  shall  indulge  in  no  rhetoiical  manoeuvres  ; 
nor  will  I  amaze  you  with  high  sounding  language,  instead  of 
defensive  arguments — I  shall  adhere  to  close  disputation.  I 
appeal  to  the  judgments  of  the  candid  and  the  impartial.  Have 
I  not  shown  the  fallacy  of  the  few  arguments  advanced  by  my 
Reverend  opponent?  Mr.  Pope  has  put  a  curious  interpre- 
tation on  the  remarkable  words  of  St.  Pa  ' ;  ♦'  If  I  have  all 
faith,  so  that  I  could  remove  mountains,  ana  have  not  charity, 
I  am  nothing."  Mr.  Pope,  says  that  this  is  merely  a  faith  that 
can  work  miracles.  Surely,  if  ihe  faith  whic!.  could  move 
mountains,  and  work  miracles,  could  not  save  a  man  unless  h(! 
had  charity  ;  a  fortiori,  the  fail'i  which  could  nrt  perform  mira- 
cles, would  not  save  a  man  without  chan^v.  He  says,  that  God 
could  not  contradict  himself;  and  he  gave  us  an  eloquent  de- 
scription of  the  wonderful  attributes  of  the  Deity — I  never  gave 
utterance  to  the  absurd  and  blasphemous  opinion,  that  God 
could  contradict  himself.  Mr.  Pope,  I  repeat,  is  only  raising 
castles  in  the  air  for  the  mere  pinpose  of  throwing  them  down 
again.  He  has  returned  to  his  doctrine  of  internal  evidence— 
he  says,  that  God  Almighty  knew  that  the;  great  mass  of  man- 
kind would  not  be  able  to  answer  the  sophistries  of  the  Deists 


175 


THB    JUSTIFICATION    09 


and  Infidels ;  that  owing  to  their  ignorance,  their  habits,  and 
their  want  of  opportunities,  they  would  be  unable  of  themselvea 
to  remove  the  objections,  which  the  ingenuity  of  the  unbeliever 
would  throw  in  their  way.  This  is  the  most  powerful  argument 
that  could  be  urged,  to  prove  that  God  did  not  intend  this  holy 
book  to  form  the  sole  rule  of  man's  faith :  God  always,  in  his 
infinite  wisdom,  adapts  the  means  to  the  end — If  Mr.  Pope's 
doctrine  were  true,  would  the  Almighty  have  adapted  the  means 
to  the  end  1  Mr.  Pope's  doctrine  directly  militates  against  the 
attributes  of  the  Deity. — I  again  call  upon  him  to  tell  me  what 
particular  porlion  of  scripture  is  sufficient  for  sahalion,  and  to 
found  his  opinion,  not  upon  reasonings,  but  upon  a  positive  and 
direct  text  of  scripture. 

Gentlemen,  in  proceeding  to  discuss  the  Reformation,  I  shall, 
at  the  outset,  lay  down  two  principles  upon  which  I  found  my 
arguments.  My  first  principle  is  this — that  God  never,  in  any 
instance,  employed  notorious  characters,  savage  and  ferocious 
men,  immoral,  and  self-degraded  wretches,  to  reform  religion. 
My  second  proposition  is,  that  the  reformers  of  the  sixteenth 
century  were  men  of  that  description.  If  I  prove  both  these 
propositions,  and  neithci  ^  I  imagine,  can  be  reasonably  disputed, 
I  shall  bring  this  argument  to  a  speedy  conclusion.  Be  pleased 
to  observe,  that  in  all  \iAtoxy  we  read  of  no  reformers  of  reli- 
gion but  Moses  and  the  |)rophets,  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  Apos- 
tles, who  were  the  agents  and  instruments  under  Christ.  Moses 
may,  in  the  strict  sense  of  cae  word,  be  called  the  reformer  of  the 
Patriachal  religion.  Ileligion  had  been  preserved  to  his  days 
by  the  tradition  of  the  patriarchs.  If  we  revert  to  the  patriarchs, 
we  will  find  God  preserving  religion,  not  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  bad  and  proverbially  corrupt  men,  but  of  such  charac- 
ters as  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  &c.  For  the  space  of  two 
thousand  years,  religion  was  preserved  by  the  patriarchs,  before 
a  line  of  scripture  was  written.  Religion  was  then  wafied  down 
by  their  tradition,  pure,  simple,  and  uncorrupted.  But  the  time 
arrived  when  the  old  religion  was  to  be  built  upon  a  more  per- 
manent basis,  to  be  reformed,  and  enlarged.  Moses  was  selected 
by  God  for  that  purpose,  to  combine  the  traditions  of  the  patri- 
archs into  one  settled  law.  Moses  pioved  his  extraordinary 
mission  by  the  performance  of  manifest  and  splendid  miracles. 
The  prophets  too  proved  their  divine  mission  by  unquestioned 
njiracles.  When  our  Saviour  came  to  perfect  the  Jewish  reli- 
gion, do  we  not  read  of  the  splendid  miracles  performed  by  him 
in  attestation  of  his  character  as  a  reformer  J  Did  not  the 
Rcuuemer  declare,  that  if  he  had  not  performed  such  mirack s, 
the  Jews  who  disbelieved,  would  have  had  no  sin  in  them  1  Did 
he  not  emphatically  say,  that  if  he  had  not  performed  such  rnira- 


THE    REFORMATION. 


177 


clc?,  they  would  h^ve  been  justified  in  putting  him  to  death  ?  f 
never  said,  that  God  granted  intkUibility  to  the  Jewish  syruigogue, 
but  1  affirm,  that  it  never,  defaclo  erred  till  the  prophecies  were 
accomphshed,  and  the  Hedeeiner  cnrne,  who  then  estabhshed  his 
church,  to  whiclj  he  promised  infal.ihilihj  in  express  terms.  If, 
then,  the  Jewish  church,  to  which  itilUlhbility  was  not  promised, 
did  not  err  till  the  coming  of  Christ,  aforliori,  the  church  which 
Christ  established,  and  to  which  he  expressly  promised  int'alli- 
bi  ity  will  never  err.     Hear  the  words  of  Christ  himself : 

"  The  church  is  the  pillar  and  ground  of  truth." — "  The  gates  of  lirll  shall 
nevfr  prevail  against  it." — "He  that  will  not  hear  the  church,  let  him  be  unto 
lliee  arf  the  heathen  aiidlhe  puhlican." — "I  will  send  you  the  apiri'  of  truth 
lo  tiach  you  ail  truti)." — "  I  will  send  you  aiiotlier  Paraclete,  to  abide  with 
YOU  FOR  EVEU." — "  Ye  are  the  light  ot  tiio  world," — "  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the 
earth." — '*  A  city  built  upon  a  mountain  cannot  be  concealed." 

It  is  Mr.  Pope  who  would  make  the  God  jf  Heaven  contra- 
dict hiuiself.  As  the  poor  and  ignorant  man  could  never  ol 
himself  ascertain  the  inspiration  of  the  scriptures,  nor  discover 
therein  Mr.  Pope's  rule  of  faith — God  appointed  the  living 
authority  of  the  church  to  guide  and  direct  him,  and  which  church 
I  have  already  proved  to  be  iiifaiiible. 

Mr.  Pose  has  recuried  to  the  mass,  and  quoted  the  apostate 
Bimco  White — a  notable  authority  truly,  to  oppose  the  authority 
and  credit  of  the  C-.uhoiic  church.  He  might  as  well  quote  the 
autliority  of  Julian  the  apostate,  against  the  Catholic  church. 
We  are  desired  by  St.  Paul  to  avoid  a  heretic,  as  one  condemned 
by  his  private  judgment — propria  judicio  condemnaivs — and  St. 
John  forbids  to  even  saluie  him.  Mr.  Pope  says,  that  I  make 
him  a  heretic — I  deny  that,  in  the  sense  in  which  1  used  the  word 
heretic,  Mr.  Pope  is  one.  He  was  born  of  Protestant  parents — 
I  say  with  St.  Augustin,  that  he  is  a  heretic  who  goes  out  of  the 
church  oi"  himself  and  chooses  a  religion  of  his  own. 

Dr.  Johnson,  who  was  a  Protestant,  and  whose  orthodo.xy 
cannot  be  questioned — whose  piety  and  devotion  were  well  known 
offered  up  prayers  for  his  mother. 

In  the  course  of  his  observations,  Mr.  Pope  has  alluded  to  the 
longer  time  which  was  granted  me  to  speak  on  the  first  day.  It 
arose  from  the  circumstance  of  my  havir";  sat  down  on  my  pie- 
vious  half  hours  too  soon,  tind  consequently,  I  was  allowed  a 
few  minutes  at  the  close  of  the  discussion  to  make  up  for  that 
deficiency.  I  had  proposed  then  that  the  discussion  should  be 
carried  on  by  interrogatory,  and  it  strikes  me  that  that  would 
be  the  better  way  of  conducting  it.  By  the  interrogative  mode, 
you  perciive 


,1 J. 


iiave  asreiiuy  rucceeoeo   in    i 


r-^^A^A 


oppon 
the  circii 


JJdl      " 

nt  give  contradictory  answers  to  two  questions  rclaiive  to 


lation  of  the  sacred  scriptures  ;   while  he  supposed  he 


78 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OF 


n.id  confined  mo  in  an  imaginary  circle,  I  put  a  question  to  him 
which  he  hus  not  attempted  to  answer.  He  could  not  tell  what 
portion  of  scripture  was  necssanj,  to  inslruct  unlo  salvation,  or 
what  porlion  unnecessary. 

It  is  rather  strange,  that  Mr.  Pope,  who  professes  such  vene- 
ration for  the  Son  of  God,  should  muUe  nothing  of  the  pronnsea 
of  our  Saviour  to  his  church,  and  endeavour  to  explain  them 
away  by  sophistry  and  absurd  metaphysical  distinctions.  L(!t 
that  fact  be  marked — who  then  is  the  advocate  of  the  Hible  ?  I, 
who  hold  that  the  sacred  word  of  the  Redeemer,  bears  the  stanp 
of  eternal  truth,  or  he  who  attempts  to  explain  away  that  eternal 
word  by  allegories  and  metaphors  ?  This  is  the  man,  forsooth, 
who  pretends  to  believe  nothing  but  what  is  contained  in  the 
scriptures  !  I  insist  that  God  has  revealed  truths  which  are  not 
in  the  sacred  scriptures.  I  maintain  that  the  word  of  God  is 
infallible,  and  I  maintain  that  the  promises  vnade  by  Christ  to  his 
church  that  she  shall  never  err — promises  so  plain,  so  explicit, 
and  so  obvious— promises  which  are  dwelt  upon  and  repeated 
by  the  holy  Fathers,  are  eternally  true  and  can  never  fail. 
'«■  Heaven  and  earth  will  pass  atvatj,  but  my  words  will  never  pass 
away.''  I  have  already  read  to  this  meeting,  various  passages 
from  the  Fathers  in  support  of  the  doctrines  of  infallibility,  pur- 
gatory, and  the  invocation  of  saints. 

With  regard  to  the  isfurmers,  I  have  laid  down  a  clear  princi- 
ple—that God  will  never  employ  openly  abandoned,  proverbi- 
ally vicious,  self  convicteo,  immortal  men,  as  the  reformers  ol  a 
pre-existing  church,  or  of  any  religion.  I  have  already  proved 
from  the  sacred  volume,  that  the  extraordinary  ministers  of  his 
sacred  word  shall  have  the  broad  seal  of  his  mission,  to  wit, 
miracles,  atfixed  up^'n  them.  If  it  !  e  proved  that  the  ordwary 
ministers  of  religion  may  be  vicious  and  corrupt,  it  does  not 
follow  that  the  extraordinary  ministers  of  religion,  who  came 
forward  as  reformers,  should  bear  that  character.  Christ  did 
not  preach  his  mission  without  exhibiting  to  the  world  the  great 

seal  of  divinity.  ,  «  .  .  ,  ^ 

The  mission  to  which  Luther,  and  Calvin,  and  Cranmer  pre- 
tended, was  not  an  ordinary  one.  If  their  mission  were  an 
ordinary  one,  they  should  have  remained  in  that  church  which 
existed  before  them.  They  should  have  shown  an  extraordinary 
njission  before  they  departed  from  that  church,  which  consisted 
o(  all  the  Christian  churches  ii  .union  with  the  see  of  Rome, 

where  her  visible  head  resided,  showing  forth  the  commission 
granted  by  Chri.-^t  to  his  church.  Luther's  comm^ission  (if  any) 
as  a  retbrmer  t>f  the  Catholic  cnurcn,  must  aave  ^een  an  exiia- 
ordinary  one.  Did  he  prove  it  by  miracles  ?  It  is  said  indeed 
that  Calvin,  in  order  to  prove  his  mission  by  a  miracle,  to  remove 


THE    REFORMATION.  179 

Ihe  objections  against  him  on  that  liead,  induced  a  man  for  a  largt 
Hum  of  money  to  feign  death,  in  order  that  he  (Calvin)  might 
get  the  credit  of  raising  him  from  the  dead.  The  man,  however, 
hlerally  rose  no  more,  and  Calvin  took  good  care  never  to  repeal 
the  experiment. 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  give  you  the  character  of  the  Catholic 
church,  from  writers,  whose  authority  I  suppose  my  learned 
adversary  will  not  be  inclined  to  dispute.  Every  line  which  I 
shall  quote  shall  be  from  Protestant  historians.  Observe,  I  am 
not  about  to  quote  from  masked  Papi^jts  against  the  Protestant 
church,  as  my  opponent  has  quoted  from  masked  Protestants 
against  the  Catholic  church. 

Dr.  Spry  say.s, 

"From  the  facts  which  are  recorded  in  scripture,  and  which  other  historical 
testimony  confirms,  wo  infer  that  the  Apostles,  in  the  exercise  of  the  power 
vested  in  them,  instituted  that  ecclesiastical  polity  toliich  was  niaiiUained  in 
the  "hurch  until  Ih;  period  of  Ihe  Rojormalion." 

Davis  says, 

"  It  13  acknowledged  on  all  hands,  that  the  church  of  Rome,  in  its  original 
state,  was  Apostolical  and  pure.  And  even  at  the  present  day,  it  has  per- 
severed in  all  the  fundanental  articles  of  the  trite  and  Christian  faith.  And 
the  sacraments  ordaine^^.  by  the  Gospel  are  liere  administered  by  a  priesthood 
which  derives  its  appointment,  by  an  uninterrupted  succession,  from  the  Apos- 
tles, and  its  aulhonlj  from  our  Great  Master." 

No  wonder,  indeed,  that  these  learned  Protestant  Divines 
should  so  frankly  and  openly  avow,  that  our  doctrine  aud  our 
priesthood  are  dej  ived  from  the  Apostles,  and  our  authority  to 
preach  and  teach,  from  our  Great  Mastti'  himself.  For  as  they 
received  whatever  is  valid  of  their  ordination  from  us,  such  con- 
fession is  absolutely  necessary  to  prop  up  their  own  quaking 
system,  and  to  give  even  a  specious  colour  to  their  claims. 

Dr.  Daubeny  thus  writes  : 

"  The  commission  originally  delivered  by  Christ  to  his  Apostlesi,  has  been 
handed  .iown  in  regniur  succession.  Under  the  authority  of  this  commisMon, 
the  rc'hgion  of  Christ  was  introduced  into  this  country,  at  a  very  early  period: 
and  ihu  appointment  of  ministers  under  the  sanction  of  tlio  Divine  Author- 
ity, has  been  uniformly  received  and  preserved  in  the  church,  wherever  it  has 
c,\ij)ted,  for  1 500  years." 

In  the  Briti.sh  Critic,  we  read, 

"  The  church  government  maintained  by  the  church  of  Rome,  has  been 
traced  without  a  single  break  in  the  cliaii,  .:,>  .'  -  ,  >  '  .tmediate  succesfors  of  the 
Apostles  :  and  the  chain  of  the  episcopaev  wan  unbroken  for  1 500  years."" 

Dr.  Tomline,  in  his  Elemeni  -i  .s.iys  : 

"  When  the  Reformation  took  place  in  England,  the  Bishops  and  cleigy 
wflfo  not  cons^emted  ond  ordained  nsc-in^  Thev  had  received  consecration 
and  ordination  from  men  to  whom  the  power  of  consecrating  and  ordaining 
had  been  transmitted  from  the  Apostles  :    and  tiiat  power  'ff'SLH  not  vitiated.'*  • 


ill 


180  THE    JUSTIFICATION    OF 

Daubeny  thus  defines  Schism  : 

"  Wherever  there  is  a  wilful  separation  from  the  comm»n.on  of  the  cnureb 
of  Christ,  there,  accordin;^  to  the  original  idea  upon  this  siihject,  a  division  Ot 
Christ's  mystical  hody  takf  s  place  ;  and  there  the  sin  of  schism  is  to  be  found. 
Schism  then  consists  in  a  disunion  of  the  members  of  the  church,  occasioned 
by  the  want  of  obedience  to  the  government  which  Christ  by  his  Apostlea 
settled  in  it ;  and  a  consequent  separation  from  its  communion,  in  contradic- 
tion to  the  divine  plan  of  its  establishment." 

Mr.  Pope — Gentlemen,  I  bej;  to  observe  that  my  quotations 
nave  been  from  Roman  Catholic  authors.  Though  I  have 
referred  to  Father  Paul  during  the  discussion,  yet  on  this  day  I 
have  not  quoted  from  his  writings.  I  again  ask,  whether  greater 
difficulties  do  not  lie  on  the  side  of  Mr.  Maguire  than  on  mine, 
in  providing  for  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  poor.  We  are  not  to 
dictate  to  the  Almighty  :  we  are  not  to  reason  from  the  line  Oi 
procedure  which  in  our  conceptions  the  Deity  ought  to  adopt :  we 
are  not  to  bring  his  dispensations  to  the  bar  of  our  erring  judg- 
ments :  we  are  to  draw  our  conclusions  from  what  God  has 
done — not  from  what  we  may  imagme,  He  ought  to  have  done. 
I  have  not  this  day  quoted  the  authority  of  Mr.  White,  although 
I  believe  him  to  be  a  most  respectable  and  conscientious  man. 
My  friend  says  that  I  am  not  a  heretic.  I  may  thank  him  as  an 
individual  for  the  admission;  but  I  beg  to  know  by  what  authority 
he  makes  the  assertion  ?  According  to  the  doctrines  of  the 
church  of  Rome,  I  need  scarcely  remark,  that  all  who  are  with- 
out her  pale  are  heretics,  infidels,  or  excommunicated  persons. 
It  is  %vell  known,  that  exclusive  salvation  is  her  doctrine,  except 
in  cases  of  invincible  ignorance ;  and  invincible  ignorance,  I  thank 
God,  can  rarely  be  the  lot  of  any  Protestant  in  these  countries. 
With  respect  to  Sir  Edwin  Sandys,  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  that 
a  Roman  Catholic  and  a  Protestant  clergyman  should  examine 
the  original  work,  and  decide  the  question  at  issue  between  us. 
[Mr.  Maguire  agreed  to  this  proposal.]  My  friend  has  told  us 
that  God  never  employed  bad  men  to  accoinplish  the  Reforma- 
tion of  his  church.  Our  question  is  not,  whether  the  instru- 
ments were  good  or  evil,  but  whether  the  separation  from  the 
church  of  Rome,  which  took  place  in  the  sixteenth  century,  was 
justifiable.  Mr.  Maguire  has  referred  to  one  or  two  authorities, 
to  show  that  there  existed  some  immoral  men  among  the  reiorm- 
ers,  and  particularly  instanced  Luther.  In  noticing  these  charges, 
permit  me  to  remind  you  that  I  am  descending  from  the  real 
point  at  issue.  I  again  assert,  that  the  question  before  us  has 
not  been  met  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Maguire.  I  would  imprest 
this  fact  upon  the  minds  of  the  population  at  large.  My  friend 
has  quoted  from  Protestant  authorit'  -s  in  iavour  of  the  church 
of  Rome :  but  I  would  ask,  did  those  quotations  meet  the  charges 


THE    RKFORMATION. 


181 


brought  against  her  at  the  time  of  the  Reformntion.  One 
of  those  quotations,  referring  to  her  doctrines,  says,  that  she 
retains  all  fundamental  truths.  Were  1  to  grant  this  assertion 
yet  our  charge  is  that  she  has  added  novehies  to  those  funda- 
mental truths,  and  by  that  addition  nulhtied  them.  VViih  respect 
to  the  character  of  Luther,  I  beg  to  read  you  a  quotation  from 
Maimbourg,  a  Roman  Catholic  historian,  quoted  in  Fry's  Church 
History,  p.  284. 

"  He  lived  a  moral  life,  and  was  not  given,  in  the  smallest 

DEGREE,  TO  COVETOCSNESS  OR  ANT  OTHER  VICE." 

My  friend  asserts  that  Moses,  and  the  prophets,  and  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  were  moral  men,  and  proved  the  divinity  of  their 
mission  by  miracles.  Need  I  say,  that  I  admit  the  truth  of  the 
obAervation  ?  I  shall  meet  it  :  you,  gentlemen,  shall  judge 
whether  I  do  so  successfully.  Moses  came  to  give  perfection 
to  the  preceding  dispensation  :  so  did  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
The  reformers  did  not  usher  in  a  new  dispensation,  neither  did 
they  add  any  thing  to  that  which  was  at  the  time  in  existence : 
they  only  returned  to  first  principles :  they  dash  to  the  ground 
the  unscriptural  superstructure  which  had  been  raised  by  the 
church  of  Rome,  and  brought  to  light  the  fundamental  truths  of  the 
Christian  system,  in  their  native  symmetry,  beauty,  and  strength. 
As  they  did  not  introduce  a  new  dispensation,  it  was  not,  thtre- 
fore,  necessary  that  they  should  perform  miracles.  I  find,  that 
under  the  Jewish  dispensation,  the  Israelites  were  cautioned 
against  those,  who  even  predicted  events  which  actually  came 
to  pass,  but  who  endeavoured  to  lead  the  people  into  error  : 

"  If  there  arise  in  the  midst  of  thee  a  prophe-.,  or  one  that  saith  he  hath 
dreameil  a  dream,  and  he  ioretell  a  sign  and  wonder,  and  ihiit  coino  to  pass 
which  ho  spoke  ;  and  he  say  to  thee,  let  us  go  and  follow  nUaivo,  gods,  which 
thou  knowest  not,  and  let  us  serve  them  ;  thou  shall  not  hoar  the  words  of 
that  proijhet  or  dreamer,  for  the  Lord  your  God  tricth  xou,  that  it  mav  appear 
whether  you  love  him  with  all  your  heart  and  with  a*i  Vour  soul,  or  no' ;  f&llow 
the  Lord  your  God,  and  tear  him,  and  keep  hia  coinsnar'id.n-tir:!,  and  his  voice: 
hiru  you  shall  serve,  unto  him  you  shall  cleave  :  aod  that  proph(!t  or  former  of 
dreams  shall  bo  slain,  because  he  spoke  to  draw  you  awav  from  thel,ord 
your  God,  who  hroui;ht  you  out  of  the  land  of  Ei^vpt  and  redeemed  you  imt 
ot  the  houne  of  bondage,  to  make  thee  go  out  of  the  way  which  the  Lord  thy 
Grou  ccmmanded  thee :  and  thou  shalt  takeaway  the  evil  out  of  the  midst  of 
thee." — Deut.  xiii,  l,&c. 

Our  Lord  nimself,  though  he  performed  miracles,  did  not 
merely  refer  to  them,  in  proof  of  his  mission,  but  to  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, to  Moses,  the  Law>  and  the  Prophets.  I  would  ask, 
did  not  the  performance  of  miracles  terminate,  afiier  the  Chris- 
tian dispensation  had  been  established  upon  earth  'i — Christ  him- 
self cauiioned  his  ibiiowers  against  deceiver*,  in  the  foilowmg 
language  • 

10 


182 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OF 


"  It  any  man  shall  say  to  you,  Lo,  here  is  Christ,  or  there,  do  not  beliovi 
luin ;  (or  tiierc  shull  uriao  t'olac  Clirista  unci  false  Proi>liets,  and  shall  show 
great  si^iis  and  wonders,  iiwonxicli  as  to  deceive,  if  possible,  even  the  elect: 
belioUl,  I  have  told  it  to  you  bcjorehand." — Matt,  xxiv,  24. 

Again,  we  are  informed,  that  the  working  of  signs  and  lying 
wonders,  is  a  characteristic  of  the  Man  of  Sin. 

"  Whose  coming,"  the  Apostle  says, "  is  accortling  to  the  working  of  Satan, 
in  all  power,  and  signs,  and  lying  wonders,  and  in  all  seduction  of  iniquity 
to  them  that  perish,  because  they  received  not  the  love  of  the  truth,  tliat  they 
might  be  saved:  therefore  God  shall  send  the  operation  of  error  to  believe  lying, 
that  all  ir.ay  be  judged  who  have  not  believed  the  truth,  but  have  consented  to 
iniquity."— 2  Thess.  ii,  9 — 11. 

Again,  the  working  of  miracles  is  mentioned  as  a  character- 
istic of  one  of  the  beasts  : 

"  And  I  saw  another  beast  coming  up  out  of  the  earth,  and  he  had  two 
horns  like  a  iamb,  and  he  spoke  as  a  dragon,  and  he  executed  nil  the  power 
of  the  former  beast  in  his  siglit,  and  he  caused  the  earth  and  them  that  dwell 
therein,  to  adore  the  first  beast,  whose  wound  to  death  was  healed  ;  and  he 
did  great  signs,  so  that  he  made  also  fire  come  down  from  heaven  unto  the 
earth  in  the  sight  of  men,  and  he  seduced  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth  for  the 
signs  which  were  given  him  to  do  in  the  sight  of  the  beast,  saying 'to  them 
that  dwell  on  the  earth,  tiiat  they  should  make  the  image  of  the  beast,  which 
had  the  wound  by  the  sword,  and  lived  :  and  it  was  given  him  to  give  life  to 
the  image  of  the  bt  isL  and  that  the  image  of  the  beast  should  speak,  and 
should  cause,  that  whosoever  would  not  adore  the  image  of  the  beast,  should 
be  slain  :  and  he  shall  make  all,  both  little  and  great,  rich  and  poor,  freemen 
and  bondmen,  have  a  character  in  their  right  hand  or  on  their  foreheads  :  and 
that  no  man  might  buy  or  sell  but  he  that  hath  the  character  or  the  name  of 
the  beast,  or  the  rftimber  of  his  name." — Apocalypse,  xiii,  12 — 17. 

You  can  now  determine  whether,  if  even  the  reformers  had 
been  able  to  perform  miracles,  that  powf  r,  per  se,  alone,  would 
have  entitled  them  to  act  as  divinely  commissioned. 

Mr.  Maguire  asks,  by  what  means  religion  was  handed  down 
to  the  time  of  Moses?  He  should  remember,  that  the  head  of 
each  family  of  God's  people  was  both  patriarch  and  priest  of  his 
own  house  ;  that  the  great  age  of  those  who  lived  before  the 
flood,  enabled  them  personally  to  communicate  to  their  posterity 
divine  truth  ;  and,  that  their  religion  consisted  of  a  few  simple 
principles.  My  opponent  says,  that  the  Jewish  synagogue  never 
erred.  I  beg  to  remind  him,  that  the  Jewish  church  was  of  divine 
origin,  but  that  the  synagogue  was  of  human  institution.  I  repeat 
it — the  synagogue  was  of  human  institution.  If  we  refer  to 
scripture,  we  find  that  the  leaders  and  priests  of  the  Israelites 
erred.     In  Exodus,  xxxii,  5,  we  read — 

"  They  said,  these  are  thy  Gods,  O  Israel,  that  have  brought  thee  out  of 
the  land  of  Eijyut^  And  wIhmi  Aaron  saw  ihi-s-.  he  huilt  an  altar  bi'fore  it-,  and 
made  proclanvation  by  a  crier's  voice,  saying,  *  to-morrow  is  the  solemnity  of 
the  Lord.' " 


THE    REFORMATION. 


18S 


tnd 


1  wonder  whether  Aiiron  is  deemed  to  hiivc  been  infallihlo, 
when  he  snnclioned  idolatry!  Again,  we  read  the  fullowiug 
descr  ption  of  the  spiritual  guides  of  Israel  : 

"  His  watchmen  are  all  blind,  they  are  all  ignorant,  dumb  dops,  not  able  to 
bark,  soting  vain  t lim-s,  aloepinu;  and  lovini?  dreams,  and  most  impudent 
(lo-3,  they  never  had  enough :  tlie  shepherds  themselves  knew  no  understand- 
ing  :  all  liavo  turned  aside  unto  their  own  Way,  .very  one  after  his  own  .min. 
from  the  hrst  ev.m  to  th6  last.  Come,  let  us  take  wine  and  be  lil'ed  with 
drunkenness :  and  it  sliall  be  as  to-day,  so  also  to-morrow,  and  niueli  more." 
Isaiah,  Ivi,  10. 

In  Malachi,  we  read, 

••The  lips  of  the  priest  shall  keep  knowledge,  and  they  shall  seek  the  law 
at  his  mouth,  because  he  is  the  angel  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts." 

What  follows  ? 

"  But  you  are  departed  out  of  the  way,  and  have  caused  many  to  atnmble  at  the 
law,  tjou  have  male  void  the  covenant  of  Levi,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts  ;  therefoi-e 
have  I  made  yon  contemptible,  and  base  before  all  people,  as  you  have  not  kept  mv 
ways,  and  have  accepted  persons  in  the  hw^—Chap.  it,  7,  9. 

So  much  for  the  infallibility  of  the  Jewish  teachers.  Mv 
friend  has  observed,  that  the  synagogue  and  ecclesiastical  rulers 
were  infallible,  till  Christ  came,  and  that  infallibility  was  then 
transferred  to  Jesus.  I  beg  to  know  at  what  precise  period  the 
p .erogative  was  transferred  from  the  Jewish  synagogue  ?  Was 
it  while  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  sat  in  Moses'  chair,  and 
while  Jesus  commanded  the  people  to  hear  them  ?  Was  infalli- 
bility taken  from  them  at  that  time  1  I  have  showed  you  from 
Deuteronomy,  that  miracles  per  se,  alone,  were  not  sufficient  to 
prove  that  even  the  Saviour  was  divinely  commissioned,  unless 
he  also  referred  to  the  testimony  of  Scripture.  I  would  ask, 
was  it  not  said  of  the  Jewish  hierarchy,  "have  any  of  the  Rulers 
or  Pharisees  believed  on  him  ? — (John  /ii,  47.) 

Mr.  Maguire  here  interrupted,  and  said— I  told  you  that  the 
synagogue  did  not  en  de  facto  ui>til  the  coming  of  Christ,  but  I 
did  not  say  that  infallibility  was  confetred  upon  k  by  God. 

Mr.  Pope— Gentlemen,  Mr.  Maguire  has  said,  that,  although 
infallibility  was  not  the  privilege  of  the  synagogue,  yet  it  never 
erred  de  facto  until  Christ  appeared.  Now  Mr.  Maguire  looks 
upon  the  synagogue  as  having  been  the  representative  of  the 
Jewish  church,  and  Roman  Catholics,  by  analogy  founded  on 
the  Jewish  church,  argue  in  favour  of  the  infallibility  of  their 
own.  I  assert  that  those  who  believed  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ, 
and  followed  the  Saviour,  must  have  done  so  in  opposition  to 
their  rulers,  c  nd  must  hav^e  exercised  their  own  private  judgments 
on  the  prooils  that  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  God.  My  tiiend  asks» 
IS  one  nian  to  set  up  his  judgment,  against  many  ?      There  aro 


l! 


184 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OF 


cxtrsme  cases  when  such  a  procrdme  mny  be  absoliUely  neces- 
saiy.  Such  occurred,  when,  u8  I  liave  airoady  observed,  accord- 
ing to  Vinccntius  Lirinensis,  (Com.  1,  rMp.  6,)  and  Jerome, 
(in  Dial,  contra.  Lucifer,)  the  whole  world  had  l)ecorno  Arian. 
A  Christian  man,  as  Athanasius  did,  nui^t  at  tluit  |)eri<id  have 
stood  out  against  the  whole  world.  Christ  selected  a  lew  to 
stand  against  the  many,  nor  should  the  behever  refuse  to  join 
the  pensecutcd  ranks  of  the  followers  of  Jesus,  though  the  world 

be  figainst  them. 

Lj  order  to  show  that  Luther  was  not  the  impetuous  headstrong 
person,  which  his  enemies  represent  him  to  have  been,  permit 
me  to  read  you  a  passage  from  his  writings : 

"We  allow  that  in  the  Papacv  arc  many  good  tilings;  and  all  tliose  "ood 
thin>'s  we  havo  ntaiiicd.  Wiull.  we  amiiii  is  this;  that  the  Pop-  s  hav<-  in 
niaiiy  instances  cornii)led  the  Apostolic  chiiirii;  and  have  pri  In  red  their 
own"  laws  and  ordinances  to  the  laws  and  or(h  .nces  of  'Christ.  1  hcreloie, 
all  that  accniniilattHl  mass  of  hnnmn  cent'  uuos,  which  is  ol  .  ntan  s  sug- 
gestion, and  contiibutes  to  Ihedestnicion  of  the  chinch  ot  God,  rather  Ihnn  to 
Its  edification,  we  entirely  disapprove  :mu\  reject:  bnt  stop  here.  VV  e  would 
not  imitate  the  man  who  on  seeing  his  brother  in  the  utmost  danpr  ol  hnng 
killed  hya  wild  hoar,  instantly  pier,  .d  both  the  boar  and  and  his  brother  witli 
one  thriist  of  his  spear.  Peiir.n  ome  Papists  will  accuse  me  ol  natt.rmg 
the  Pope  in  this  instance:  ^  answeh  is  ;  if  the  Popo  wil  bear  sncii  tlut- 
tery  as  this,  I  will  become  '  obedient  son  ;  I  will  be  a  good  1  apist  ana  will 
recant  all  that  I  have  said    u  ofT-nd  him."— Com.  de  Luth.  ii,  xl,  13,  14. 

In  other  wor(]  .  if  the  errors  of  tlie  church  of  Rome  were 
removed,  Luther  says,  that  he  would  return  to  her  communion. 

1  shall  also  give  you  the  opinion  of  a  learned  and  grave  Ro- 
man Catholic  divine,  which  will  show  you,  at  whose  door  is  to 
be  laid  the  cause  of  separation.  Cassander  was  appointed  by 
the  two  emperors  Ferdinand  and  Maximillian,  to  endeavour  to 
heal  the  breach  which  had  taken  place  between  the  reformed  and 
the  church  of  Rome.     He  observes, 

"  Yet  I  cannot  deny,  but  that,  in  the  beginninsr,  many,  out  of  a  godly  zeal 
and  care  were  driven  to  a  sharp  and  severe  reproof  of  certain  mamit  .=t  abuses ; 
rnd  that  tlie  principal  cau.se  of  Urn  calamity  ami  didrnction  oj  Ihe  churclijs  lo 
lelaid  vpon  those,  vhkli  beinjr  pvffed  vp  idlh  a  vain  insolent  concpl  of  Jieir 
ecclesiastical  poirer,  proudly  and  scornfully  contemned  and  rejected  them,  whtcli 
did  rvihtlu  and  nwdcstly  admonish  their  vefornmlion.  ^\  herefore,  my  opmion 
is.  that  the  church  can  never  hope  for  any  firm  peace,  unless  they  make  the 
becinnin",  which  have  given  the  cause  of  this  distraction  :  that  is,  unless  those 
which  are  in  place  of  ecclesiatical  government,  will  be  content  to  remit  some- 
thill'-  of  their  too  much  ii-our,and  >ield  somewhat  to  the  peace  O:  the  church, 
findlcarkenin^  unto  the  earnest  prayers  and  admonilions  oJ  many  goi.ly  inen, 
will  set  themselves  to  correct  manifest  abuses  according  to  the  rue  ofdtvm, 
scriptures,  and  of  the  ancient  church  from  loHch  they  have  su-erved.  '—Consult 
pp,  5G,  57. 

Mv  friend  has  tpld  a  long  story  about  Calvin,  I  could  relat« 
several  strange  stories  ;  for  instance,  about  St.  Anthony  preacii 
ing  to  the  lishes,  and  various  other  ludicrous  anecdotes. 


THE    REFORMATION. 


\S5 


I  beg  to  make  an  observation,  relative  to  a  passage  from  a 
Protestant  writer  in  reference  to  the  ch.irch  of  Uonie  beinii 
apostolic.  The  church  of  Rome,  I  admit,  was  pnre  in  the  apos- 
tohc  times,  when  Paul  addressed  his  epistle  to  her ;  hut  I  now 
protest  against  her,  ns  having  departed  from  her  great  original. 
and  as  having  added  various  doctrines  and  ordinances  to  those 
revealed  in  t.ie  sacred  scripture.  Mr.  Maguire  will,  d.Mibtless 
ask  me,  where  was  the  church  before  Luther?  I  am  prepared 
to  answer  him.  ^    ' 

Mr.  MAc.umE.— Mr.  Pope  T  is  asserted,  that  the  poor  man  is 
placed  under  worse  circumstances  as  to  making  an  act  of  faith, 
"/•  accordmg  to  my  pryfciples,  than  according  to  the  principles  which 
he  advocates.     I  imagined  I  had  satisfactorily  proved  that  it  is 
utterly  impossible  for  any  ignorant  Protestant  to  make  a  prudent 
ac   ot  laith  in  the  inspiration  of  the  sacred  volume,  unless  he  were 
able  to  examine  every  passage,  con)pare  every  text,  reconcile 
every  apparent  contradiction,  and  be  prepared  to  solve  every 
doubt,  and  satisfy  his  own  conscience  touchng  the  various  and 
multiplied  objections  of  the  Atheist,  the  Deist,  and  other  infidels. 
JVow  as  this  IS  impossible  for  an  ignorant  Protestant;  hence  it  is 
impossible  he  can  make  a  prudent  act  of  faith.      Look,  for 
instance,  at  what  are  called  the  lies  of  the  patriarchs ;  examine 
the  description  and  dimensions  of  Noah's  ark— how  would  the 
Ignorant  Protestant  show  that  two  of  every  species  of  animal 
were  contained  therein,  since,  according  to  the  dimensions  <nven. 
two  whales  alone  could  scarcely  find  accommodation.     On  the 
other  hand,  the  poor  Catholic  has  but  one  simple  solitary  fact  to 
ascertam,  viz.-has  Christ  established  an  unerring  church,  with 
authority  to  teach  and  judge  for  her  children.     The  moment  this 
one  nict  has  been  ascertained  by  him,  he  can  make  an  act  of 
fa  th  explicitly  m  the  authority  of  that  church,  and  every  other 
artcle  ot  Revelation  which  she  proposes  to  his  belief.   He  submits 
with  certainty  to  the  authority  of  that  church,  and  he  laughs  to 
scorn  the  accumulated  objections  of  the  deists.     He  may  not, 

Jul  iT^-  /,  f  I  ^  ''''""  ^"  '^"^  ^""b'«  ^"d  difliculties 

Jesu^  Christ  to  his  church,  and  believes  in  all  articles  which  that 
church  prolesses  to  have  received  from  her  Divine  Founder 
I  am  surprised  that  Mr.  Pope  has  never  essayed  to  answer 

Protestant  faith  which  are  not  to  be  found  in  any  part  of  (he  sacred 
scnpitiTcSu 

In  defence  of  the  Protestant  Reformntion.  h^  npote-  Dr-d-n 
the  poet,  as  an  authority  of  mighty  importance.  As  the  ffentie- 
man  deals  so  largely  in  fiction,  1  cannot  blame  him  for  havinu 

16*  * 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


// 


/////   •  -fc    ^%§ 


1.0 


I.I 


2.0 


-    6" 


1.8 


11.25  ■  1.4   III  1.6 


o 


^ 


71 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


186 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OF 


recourse  to  the  evidence  of  the  poets.  In  the  present  instance 
however,  he  has  been  singularly  unfortunate,  tor  Dryden,  deeply 
deploring  that  he  had  ever  said  or  written  any  thing  against  the 
Catholic  church,  to  which  he  subsequently  became  a  convert, 
had  recourse  to  the  tribunal  of  Confession,  as  the  ordinary  means 
appointed  by  Christ  to  obtain  forgiveness  of  sins.  He  was  en- 
joined by  his  confessor  to  exert  those  rare  talents  which  it  pleased 
God  to  bestow  upon  him,  in  defence  of  the  truth.  He  therefore 
translated  the  life  of  Francis  Xavier,  an  Indian  Roman  Catholic 
Missionary,  equally  esteemed  by  Protestants  and  Catholics,  not 
only  for  the  extent  of  his  missionary  labours,  but  the  simplicity, 
purity,  and  self-denial  which  he  manifested  throughout  his  whole 
life.  Dryden  also  wrote  that  curious  poem  called  '  the  Hind  and 
Panther,'  in  which  he  describes  the  church  of  England  as  a  hun- 
gry, ferocious  and  prowling  wild  beast,  pursuing  with  open  mouth 
and  merciless  avidity  the  Catholic  church,  which  he  denominates 
a  spotless  Hind.  So  much  for  the  authority  of  Dryden  against 
the  doctrines  of  the  Catholic  church. 

I  appeal  to  all  candid  Protestants  to  say  whether  Mr.  Pope 
has,  in  the  remotest  degree,  approached  the  irrefragable  argu- 
ment which  I  brought  forward  as  to  the  books  of  scripture  which 
have  been  lost.  I  called  upon  him  to  say,  if  all  the  books  of  scrip- 
ture were  necessary.  Supposing  that  he  answered  in  the  affir- 
mative, I  have  proved  that  we  have  not  at  present  all  the  books  of 
scripture,  there  being  full  twenty  of  them  lost.  I  then  placed  him 
in  the  other  alternative,  and  called  upon  him  to  show,  that  a  por- 
tion only  of  the  scripture  would  be  sufficient  for  salvation,  and 
to  establish  his  opinion  by  a  direct  and  positive  text  of  scripture. 
Mr.  Pope  has  quoted  a  text  from  St.  Paul,  where  'vriting  to 
Timothy,  he  says,  that  the  scriptures  are  "  profitable  to  teach,  to 
correct,  to  instruct  in  all  riffhteousness," 

Is  there  here  a  proof  that  your  sole  rule  of  faith  is  to  be 
founded  upon  any  certain  por  I  ion,  or  upon  the  whole  of  the  scrip- 
tures ]  I  again  repeat  the  question,  whether  or  not  it  is  neces- 
sary for  salvation  to  know  the  whole  scriptures,  or  a  portion  of 
them  ]  and  I  require  an  answer  from  scripture  to  the  question* 
Mr.  Pope  has,  in  the  above  extract,  quoted  St.  Paul  when  he 
was  writing  to  Timothy,  who  w.as  not  a  layman,  but  a  bishop 
and  nietropolitan  of  Asia.  It  was  the  duty  of  Timothy  to  know 
the  holy  scriptures,  in  order  to  teach  them  to  others.  Was  a 
bishop  bound  to  leach  and  instruct  in  the  holy  scriptures  ?  If  he 
was,  was  he  not  bound  to  know  them  ? 

In  order  to  prove  the  scriptures  to  be  the  sole  rule  of  faith, 
Mr.  Pone  hus  ufisertod,  that  the  Old  Testnment  was  ordered  to  ba 
read  in  many  places.  But  he  should  recollect,  that  it  was  to  be 
interpreted  according  to  the  synagogue. 


■      THE    REFORMATION.  187 

No  wonder  a  bishop  is  to  understand  the  scriptures,  when  he 
is  obliged  to  preach  and  expound  ibern.  Such  must  be  the  pro- 
vince of  the  l)ishops  and  clergy,  or  every  man  may  assert  for 
himself  the  ri;^ht  of  preaciiing.  I  ask,  in  the  presence  of  Pro- 
testant his/iopSj  whether  it  be  the  right  of  every  tinker  and  low 
ignorant  mechanic  to  lake  upon  them  to  "  teach,  to  preach,  to 
correct,  and  instruct?" 

Our  Saviour  said,  "  search  the  scriptures.'*  It  is  perfectly 
right  to  do  so.  The  Redeemer  appealed  to  the  common  sense 
of  the  Jews  to  decide  upon  the  proofs  of  his  divine  mission.  To 
what  else  should  we  appeal,  but  to  the  common  sense  of  a  man 
before  he  recognizes  aidhorily?  I  have  already  informed  you, 
that  every  man  is  to  employ  his  common  sense  to  discover  the 
marks  of  the  church  of  Christ.  But  when  he  discovers  those 
marks  of  the  true  church,  he  at  once  submits  his  judgment  to  her 
authority.  Immediately  after  the  text,  "  search  the  scriptures," 
as  quoted  by  Mr.  Pope,  the  Saviour  adds,  "for  in  them  you 
think  you  have  eternal  life."  This  is  a  manifest  proof,  that 
eternal  life  is  not  to  be  found  in  them  alone,  otherwise  Christ 
would  not  have  said,  "  for  in  them  you  think.** 

I  should  much  wish  that  the  advocate  of  unlimited  private  judg- 
ment would  not  endeavour  to  force  his  own  opinions  upon  others. 

Mr.  Pope  has  quoted  passages  from  Catholic  writers  regard- 

mg  the  promoting  causes  of  the  Reformation.     All  allow  that  a 

reformation  was  required,  but  it  was  a  reformation  of  morals  and 

discipline,  and  not  a  change  in  religion.     If  any  man  will  say 

that  a  reformation  in  the  doctrines  of  the  church  of  Christ  was 

required,  I  shall  only  remind  him  of  the  words  of  St.  Paul : 

"But  tliough  I  or  an  angol  fioin  heaven  preach  a  gospel  to  you,  besides 
that  which  we  tiavc  preached  to  you,  let  him  be  anathtiiua." 

The  doctrine  then  of  the  church  of  Christ  never  tvas  to  be 
changed.  There  was  to  be  no  other  doctrine.  Will  it  be  said 
by  my  opponent  that  the  promises  of  Christ  to  his  church  failed 
— that  she  fell  into  error — that  all  had  become  heretics,  and  that 
therefore  Luther  and  Calvin  were  justified  in  adding  to,  and 
reforming  the  doctrines  of  the  church  1 

The  despotic  conduct  of  the  clergy  proves  nothing,  when 
adduced  to  show  that  a  reforiration  was  required  in  doctrine.  I 
admit  that  it  was  principally  bishops  and  ecclesiastics  who 
broached  heresies,  and  erected  heretical  churches,  and  not  the 
poor — but  that  only  proves  the  danger  which  arises  from  reading 
and  interpreting  the  scriptures  without  the  due  dispositions  ;  and 
strongly  illustrates  the  effects  which  would  flow  from  an  indis- 
cnimncils  circulatica  of  the  sacred  scriptures  without  note  or 
comment.  If  those  who  had  devoted  their  lives  to  the  study  of 
the  scriptures,  should  happen  to  be  led  into  error,  how  much 


I  i 


(88 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OF 


more  might  we  expect  that  the  poor  ignorant  man  would,  in 
perusing  them,  adopt  erroneous  opinions  1  Mr.  Pope  not  only 
charges  error  to  the  account  of  the  Cathohc  <  hurch,  but  he 
admits  that  the  chtirch  of  England  ia  wrong,  lor  he  protests  against 
iwentxj'One  out  of  her  l/iirhj-nine  published  articles  of  belief.  Con- 
sequently he  must  believe  that  the  church  of  England  teaches 
thill  ivhich  is  not  true.  And  1  have  no  doubt  but  I  myself  am  a 
better  church  of  England  man  than  my  friend  Mr.  Pope.  Mr. 
Pope  has  said  that  our  Saviour  did  not  come  to  reform  the 
Jewish  church. 

Mr.  Pope. — What  I  said  was,  that  he  came  to  give  perfec 
tion  to  the  Mosaic  dispensation,  by  the  establishment  of  the  lull 
Christian  economy. 

Mr.  Maguire. — What  is  perfecting  a  law,  but  reforming  it? 
I  affirm  that  Christ  came  to  reform  the  law  of  Moses,  as  Moses 
reformed  the  religion  of  the  patriarchs.  One  of  the  tenets  of  the 
Jewish  religion  was,  that  a  man  may  turn  away  his  wife,  on  any 
pretext,  and  take  another.  This,  with  many  other  pomts  of  the 
moral  code,  has  been  altered  in  the  dispensation  of  Christ.  I 
therefore  affirm  that  Christ  came  to  reform  the  Jewish  law ;  and 
he  himself  tells  the  Jews,  that  if  he  had  not  done  the  works 
which  he  performed,  those  who  refused  to  believe  in  him  would 
have  no  sin  in  them. 

Here  our  Saviour  directly  appeals  to  miracles  in  proof  of  the 
truth  of  his  mission.  I  believe  ihat  the  Son  of  the  Almighty  God 
performed  those  miracles  in  order  that  the  Jewish  people  might 
have  no  excuse  left  them.  Christ  appealed  to  miracles— surely 
that  will  not  be  denied.  Mr.  Pope  says  that  our  Saviour  came 
to  restore  the  Mosaic  law.  Would  God  have  punished  the  man 
with  death  who  departed  from  that  law,  if  he  intended  that  such 
an  authority  should  lead  into  error?  Mr.  Pope  will  say  that  the 
synagogue  rejected  Christ.  I  assert  that  the  synagogue  did  not 
err  till  the  coming  of  the  Redeemer  was  proved  by  manifest  mira- 
cles, and  the  mission  of  him  established  of  whom  Moses  said, 

"  The  Lord  thy  God  will  raise  up  to  thee  a  prophet  of  thy  nation,  and  of 
thy  bretliren,  like  unto  me :  hear  ye  himJ" 

When  Christ  did  come,  the  three  kings  from  the  east,  who 
sought  him,  called  on  Herod  to  know  where  was  the  promised 
Messiah  to  be  found.  Herod  relied  not  on  his  private  judgment ; 
he  sent  to  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  who  sat  in  the  chair  of 
Moses,  and  they  all  agreed  it  was  in  Bethlehem  of  Juda,  that 

lU  ^  T»_.i 4„  K<^  K^_>^  .    r%.r<A  iVia^y  rtttnioA  <Vif>  wnrns  OI  tllA 

UJU    iVUUCKIUCI     V,U3    l\J    Uct-MttJ    ,      t-tiir.!    tt"'  J    -J ..  _.^ -.    _ — 

prophet.     The  Jews,  therefore,  who  refused  to  believe  in  Christ 
had  no  excuse  ;  they  were  inexcusable  for  not  believing  in  hia 


THE    REFORMATION. 


189 


mission,  respecting  which  all  the  predictions  of  the  prophets 
concurred.  I  have  proved  to  you  that  Christ  roforined  the 
Jewish  religion  ;  but  I  do  not  say  that  he  introduced  a  perfectly 
new  religion.  As  our  Saviour  then  appealed  to  miracles  when 
he  came  to  reform  the  law  of  Moses,  we  are  justly  entitled  to 
call  for  miracles  on  the  part  of  Luther  and  Calvin,  who  pretended 
that  they  came  to  reform  our  church,  which  had  continued  from 
the  days  of  Christ  for  filleen  hundred  years.  Will  it  be  said  by 
any  man,  that  the  reformers  of  the  sixteenth  century,  referred  to 
miracles  in  proof  of  their  mission  1 

I  call  upon  Mr.  Pope  to  produce  any  Catholic  historian  of 
establislied  credit,  who  admits  that  any  other  reformation  was 
required  than  that  of  morals  and  disci[)line.  Erasmus,  who 
wrote  more  licentiously  on  that  subject  than  any  other  Catholic 
with  whose  works  I  am  acquainted,  did  admit  a  reformation  in 
morals  and  discipline — but  decidedly  not  in  doctrine.  I  insist 
that  I  have  established  the  fact,  that  till  the  coming  of  Christ, 
the  Jewish  synagogue  did  not  err  in  doctrine  ;  or,  in  other  words, 
that  it  was  infallible. — Our  Saviour  says  to  his  disciples — 

"  The  Scribes  and  Pharisees  have  sat  in  the  chair  of  Moses.  All,  there- 
fore, whatsoever  tUey  shall  say  to  you,  observe  and  do;  but  according  to 
their  work  do  ye  not." 

Here  our  divine  Lord,  though  about  to  introduce  a  more  per- 
fect dispensation,  refers  his  disciples  to  the  authority  of  the 
established  teachers,  until  he  had  revealed  the  object  of  his  mis- 
sion. Did  the  soi-disant  reformers  do  so  ?  Christ,  therefore, 
referred  the  Jev/s  to  the  existing  authorities,  nor  did  he  recall 
that  advice  till  he  had  established  his  oicn  church  on  the  basis  of 
innumerable  miracles.  Christ  als-o  gave  to  his  Apostles  the  power 
of  working  miracles,  in  order  to  the  diffusion  and  establishment 
of  his  church  on  earth.  I  suppose  Mr.  Pope  will  admit  that 
miracles  were  wrought  in  the  primitive  church.  •  As  to  the  argu- 
ment which  he  deduced  from  the  conduct  of  some  Popes,  I  have 
already  shown  to  you  that  there  is  a  wide  difference  between 
doctrines  of  faith  and  morality,  between  infiillibility  and  impec- 
cability. The  Apostle  Peter  sinned,  but  he  could  not  err  in 
failh,  fur  he  was  inspired.  Infallibility  is  the  attribute  of  the 
body  of  the  church  in  g'obo — it  does  not  exist  in  the  individual 
meujbers,  but  in  the  coHeclive  bodij  of  the  faithful.  There  are 
many  qualities  which  belong  to  the  bodij  corporate^  and  which  are 
not  found  in  the  individuals  composing  that  body.  For  exam- 
ple, the  vote  of  a  single  individual  in  Parliament  avails  nothing, 
but  the  votes  of  the  collective  body,  form  the  law  of  the  land. 

Mr.  Pope  says,  that  Aaron  is  to  be  charged  with  the  worship 
of  the  golden  calf — 1  did  not  say,  that  Aaron  was  infallible — 
but  I  affirm,  ihat  Moses  was  a  greater  autliority  than  Aaron. 


190 


THE    JUSTIFICATION     OP 


Aaron  had  only  an  ordinary — Moses  an  extraordinary  mission. 
When  Moses  was  speiikiiig  with  God  on  the  mountain,  he  inter- 
cedt-d  with  the  Ahnighty  for  the  Israehtes,  nnd  prevailed  upon 
God  to  forgive  them.  He  prayed  to  God  if  he  r^hould  not  for- 
give thetn,  to  bh)t  his  name  out  of  the  book  of  hfe.  God  did 
fonrivc  them,  and  remitted  in  a  wonderful  measure  the  punish- 
nient  decreed  agamst  them. 

Our  divine  Lord  came  to  establish  an  authority  above  that  of 
the  Jewish  synagogue,  and  he  performed  miracles  to  give  an 
undoubted  assurance  to  his  mission.  John  the  Baptist  referred 
to  the  miracles  which  he  knew  Christ  would  perform,  and  Christ 
appealed  to  the  prophecies  of  John  the  Baptist.  This  perhaps 
will  be  called  by  Mr.  Pope  a  circuliiHvitiosus^and  yet  he  cannot 
doubt  the  reality  of  the  miracles  of  Christ.  My  reverend  oppo- 
nent has  asked  whether  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  who  sat  in 
the  chair  of  Moses,  did  not  oppose  Christ '{  Certainly— but  it 
remains  to  be  shown,  that  they  puhlicUj  condemned  Christ  until 
their  authority  was  superseded  by  a  greater  authority  sent  from 
God,  Christ  Jesus  his  Son. 

Mr,  Pope  has  referred  to  the  times  of  the  Arians,  and  has 
quoted  St.  Jerome,  as  saying  the  world  was  astonished  to  find 
itself  Arian  at  once.     I  aduiit  this  hyperbole  on  the  part  of  St. 
Jerome  ;  but  it  is  one  that  can,be  easily  explained.     Liberius, 
Mr.  Pope  informs  us,  signed  the  confpssion  of  Sirmium.     Dr. 
Cave,  a  greater  man  than  Mr.  Pope,  in  his  Life  of  Athanasius, 
declares  that  it  is  not  known  whether  it  was  the  confession  at 
Sardica  or  Sirmium,  which  was  signed  by  Pope  Liberius.    Now, 
as  it  is  a  matter  of  historical  doubt,  which  Mr.  Pope  himself 
cannot  clear  up,  and  which  the  learned  Dr.  Cave  was  unable  to 
decide,  am  I  not  at  liberty  to  doubt,  whether  Liberius  signed 
either  the  one  or  the  other  l     But  admitting  the  fact,  I  deny  that 
it  necessarily  follows,  that  Liberius  became  an  Arian.     I  believe 
I  can  easily  show,  that  the  very  reverse  is  true.     Liberius,  a 
good  and  pious  man,  according  to  Dr.  Cave,  was  banished  into 
Thrace  by  the  Arian  emperor,  because  he  refused  to  sign  o 
formulary  of  faith  which  had  been  previously  subscribed  by  the 
Sirmium  bishops.     In  this  state  of  exile  he  continued  for  two 
years,  suffering  such  hardships  and  privations  as  our  rnodern 
saints  would  scarcely  endure.     He  was  at  length  permitted  to 
return,  if  we  may  believe  Theodoret,  at  the  intercession  of  the 
Roman  ladies,  who,  making  a  very  imposing  appearance,  waited 
upon  the  emperor,  as  he  entered  their  city,  and  obtained  his 
consent,  that  their  venerated  pontiff  should  return  to  the  dis- 

prevailed  upon  to  sign  the  Sirmium  confession,  it  remains  for 
Mr.  Pope  to  show  that  this  confession  xoas  Arian, 


THE    REFORMATION. 


19) 


Now,  I  affirm,  in  the  face  of  a  learned  body  of  men,  that  the 
fornrndary  subscribed  by  the  bishops  at  Sirmium  was  purely 
orthodox ;  and  that  the  only  objection  to  it  was,  ihat  it  did  not 
contain  the  word  ofiavaiof,  which  was  introduced  at  the  council 
of  Nice.  But  in  all  other  respects  it  condemned  and  anathe- 
rnatised  the  Man  heresij,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  most  superfi- 
cial observer,  by  glancing  over  the  confession  itself.  Libeiius, 
therefore,  might  justly  conclude  that  the  word  oiwvaioy  was  not 
essential  to  our  orthodox  formulary  of  faith,  especially  as  it  was 
wholly  unknown  to  antiquity.  The  Arians,  finding  that  this 
formulary  had  been  signed  by  many  truly  orthodox  bishops, 
immediately  cried  out,  that  the  Catholic  prelates  gave  their 
solemn  sanction  to  Arianism.  The  people  who  were  not  pre- 
sent, but  who  had  heard  of  the  subscription,  were  alarmed  and 
astonished  at  the  reports  so  industriously  circulated  ;  and  hence 
St.  Jerome  used  that  well-known  expression,  that  the  whole 
world  was  astonished  to  find  itself  Arian.  But  the  falsehoods 
of  the  Arians  were  shortly  detected,  and  the  faithful  restored  to 
confidence  and  peace.  So  much  for  the  hyperbole  of  the  great 
and  good  St.  Jerome. 

Mr.  Pope.-— Gentlemen :  as  to  Pope  Liberius,  Dupin,  to 
whom  I  have  already  alluded,  admits,  that  it  is  doubtful  whether 
he  subscribed  the  first  or  second  confession  of  Sirmium ;  but 
there  is  no  question  as  to  his  having  signed  the  condemnation 
of  Athanasius,  (2  vol.  p.  62,  1697,  3d.  ed.  Lond.  fol.)  From 
his  letter  as  given  in  Baronius  and  Hilary,  it  is  evident  that  he 

ratified  the  sentence  passed  by  the  Arians  against  Athanasius 

Baron.  Tom.  i,  p.  939,  ad.  ann.  257,  No  46,  Mayence,  1601.— 
Liberius's  letter  is  given  in  the  fragm.  of  St.  Hilary,  vi,— Ex. 
oper.  Hist.  p.  1335,  Benedict,  edit.  I  ask  my  friend,  if  a 
Christian  man,  in  the  days  of  Liberius,  was  not  called  upon  to 
stand  alone  against  the  whole  word  ?  Mr.  Maguire  has  stated, 
that,  according  to  my  principles,  the  poor  man  is  in  a  worse 
condition,  than  if  his  principles  were  adopted.  He  remarked, 
that  if  he  could  prove  to  the  poor  man  the  infallibility  of  his 
church,  all  his  difficulties  would  immediately  vanish  ?  I  reply, 
that  in  order  to  induce  the  poor  man  to  believe  that  the  church 
of  Rome  is  infallible,  Mr.  Maguire  must  appeal  to  the  Bible : 
and  if  the  poor  man  should  make  objections  to  the  inspired 
records,  Mr.  Magui.e  must  explain  to  him  every  difficulty  with 
which  he  may  happen  to  charge  the  sacred  page  ;  so  that  my 
opponent  must  convince  him,  that  the  Bible  is  the  book  of  God, 
before  he  cnn   nmasiKlv  aiint^oaA   in    nfi^TT^r^r.  iU..t   <!,„    _i i.  ../ 

Rome  is  infallible.     As  to  the  poor  Protestant  who  has  received 
the  knowledge  of  divine  truth,  though  he  may  not  be  able  to 


II 


193 


THE    JUSTIFICATIOW    OT 


explain  every  difficulty,  yet  is  lie  convinced  that  the  sacred 
scriptures  havf  proceeded  from  heaven,  because  he  himself  has 
tixpirienced  in  his  on n  soul  their  sanctifying  influence,  and  has 
the  witness  to  their  truth  in  himself.  In  the  passage  relative  to 
Timothy's  having  known  the  scriptures,  Mr.  Maguire  has  omit- 
ted the  words,  "  that  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly 
fjirnished  unto  every  good  work."  Now,  I  would  ask,  waa 
Timothy  a  clergyman  while  a  child  1  Was  he  a  learned  divine 
when  he  was  a  little  boy  1  Was  he  like  those  which  we  have 
heard  described,  beardless  boys,  exercising  spiritual  jurisdiction 
in  the  church  of  Rome,  and  arrogating  authority  over  the  bodiea 
and  souls  of  men  1  Timothy  read  the  Old  Testament  scrip- 
tures— ii  fortiori  the  scriptures  of  the  New  Testament  should  be 
read  ;  for,  confessedly,  the  Old  Testament  is  the  more  difficult 
portion  of  the  sacred  volume.  If  St.  Paul  commends  Timothy, 
that  "  from  a  child,"  "  nno  (?^f <jpoug,"  he  knew  the  scriptures, 
does  not  this  fact  supiply  us  with  an  argument  for  placing  the 
inspired  records  in  the  hands  of  the  young?  But  I  must  not 
forget  that  Mr.  Maguire  has  said,  that  Timothy  read  the  scrip- 
tures, as  they  were,  interpreted  by  the  synagogue.  Permit  me 
to  observe,  that  if  Timothy  had  understood  the  scripture  accord 
ing  to  the  interpretation  of  the  synagogue,  he  would  have  rejected 
the  Messiah ! 

My  friend's  comment  on  the  words  "  in  them  you  think  you 
have  eternal  life,"  is  evidently  at  variance  with  the  object  which 
the  Saviour  had  in  view  in  making  the  observation  :  he  intended 
to  charge  the  Jews  with  practical  inconsistency  : — "  Ye  search 
the  scriptures — in  those  scriptures  ye  believe  that  eternal  life  is 
contained,  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me,  and  yet,  not- 
withstanding, ye  will  not  come  unto  me,  that  ye  may  have  life." 
Mr.  Maguire  has  acknowledged,  that  a  moral  reformation  was 
called  for  in  the  church  of  Rome,  but  says  that  I  could  not  prove 
from  Roman  Catholic  authorities,  that  a  reformation  in  doctrine 
was  required.  It  is  altogether  unreasonable  to  expect,  that  such 
an  acknowledgerrtent  should  be  found  in  Roman  Catholic  di- 
vines. They  judged  according  to  their  own  standard  of  faith  ; 
and  if  they  were  consistent,  they  could  not  reject  any  doctrine 
advocated  by  the  authority  of  their  church. 

Cassander,  indeed,  remarks,  in  the  passage  aheady  referred 
to, that 

"  Ecclesiastics  should  set  tliemselves,  to  correct  manifest  abuses  according 
to  the  rule  of  divine  scriptures,  and  the  primitive  church,  fuom  which  thet 
HAVE  swEKVED." — Consult.  pp.  56,  57. 

Mr.  MntTuire  has  again  said,  no  man  can  reform  the  church 
of  Christ  without  pertorming  miracles.  He  has  again  begged 
the  question,  by  identifying  the  church  of  Rome  with  the  church 


THE    RRPORMATIOIf. 


193 


of  Chnst.  This  day  her  doctrines  have  been  contrasted  with 
those  contained  in  the  sacred  volume,  and  you  will  decide 
whether  they  accord.  My  opponent  has  observed  that  the 
Saviour  stated,  that  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  sat  in  Moses's 
seat,  and  that  he  exhorted  the  people  to  hear  them.  But  I 
would  ask,  were  they,  therefore,  infallible?  Let  any  man  ex- 
amine the  gospels,  and  he  will  find  that  the  outcry  and  opposition 
agamst  the  Redeemer  were  principally  raised  by  them.  They 
were  to  bo  heard,  while  reading  the  books  of  Moses,  bul  not 
when  uttering  their  own  traditions,  which  the  Saviour  so  pointedly 
condemned.  The  Jesuit  Maldonate  explains  the  passsage  in 
the  same  way ;  indeed,  it  cannot  with  any  possibility  be  other- 
wise expounded — 

"  When  Christ  (saith  he)  bids  observe,  and  do  what  the  Scribes  and  Phari- 
sees say,  while  they  sit  m  Moses'  seat,  he  speaks  not  of  their  doctrine,  but  of 
TJflfu^  '^  S'm'"'^'  *"^?f  Moses.  For  ft  is,  as  if  he  should  say,  aU  things 
that  the  law  and  Moses  shaU  say  unto  you,  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  rehearl 
ing  It,  observe  and  do,  but  after  their  works  donoL"— Maid,  ad  Matt,  xxiii.  23. 

Mr.  Maguire  has  adduced  the  opinion  of  Erasmus— now,  as 
he  died  a  Roman  Catholic,  Mr.  Maguire  will,  perhaps,  admit  his 
opinion  of  Luther  as  a  theologian : 

"  There  is  more  sound  theology  in  one  passage  of  his  (Luther's)  commen- 
tanes  than  m  many  large  volumes  of  the  schoolmen  and  other  such  writers." 
And  again, 

whirorinfVqir-'  "^^  ^'^  '^  °"^  p^^^^  '^  ^"^»'"'  ^^'^^  ^^  ^^ 

My  opponent  has  remarked,  that  friars  and  priests  by  their 
learning  became  the  authors  of  heresies.     I  would  ask,  is  it  the 
wish  of  my  opponent  that  none  should  be  learned,  because 
learning  has  been  abused  ?     I  repeat  a  former  observation,  if 
the  abuse  of  the  scriptures  furnish  a  reason  on  account  of  whioh 
they  should  be  withheld  from  any  portion  of  mankind,  thcij  should 
be  taken  from  prtests  and  friars,  who  have  perverted  them,  and 
given  to  the  people  who  have  never  abused  them.     My  friend  has 
told  us,  that  Christ  came  to  reform  the  church.     He  came  to 
^^^iJi^"!^®''  ^'^^^^opement  to  revealed  truth.     The  shadows  of 
the  Mosiac  dispensation  were  to  flee  away,  and  the  rays  of 
divme  light,  which  had  pointed  to  Christ,  were  now  to  be  con- 
centrated in  him,  as  the  sun  of  the  system.     The  reformers,  on 
the  other  hand,  were  not  to  unfold  a  fuller  dispensation,  but  to 
return  to  original  principles.     It  was  their's  to  remove  the  rub- 
bish which  nearly  overwhelmed  the  edifice  of  truth,  and  to  lay 
It  open  to  our  view  in  the  beauty  of  its  original  proportions. 
To  employ  an  illustration,  which  has  elsewhere  been  used— 
suppose  a  number  of  individuals  had  bound  themselves  by  cer- 
tain laws,  a  copy  of  which  was  hung  up  for  the  view  of  the  per- 
sons who  composed  the  society.     Abuses  however  gradi'nlly 


194 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    09 


crept  in,  and  the  larger  portion  of  the  members  succeeded  in 
removing  the  table  of  laws.     Should  not  the  minority  demand, 
that  the  code  of  regulations  should  be  again  produced,  and  that 
the  system  should  be  modelled  afresh  by  the  standard  of  recti- 
tude and  truth?  Mr.  Maguire  has  again  introduced  the  doctrine 
of  infallibility.     Suppose  that  I  should  grant  for  u  moment,  for 
argument's  sake,  that  a  man  is  convinced  that  the  church  of 
Rome  is  infallible,  (though  I  am  most  thoroughly  persuaded  that 
no  infallible  tribunal  exists)  of  what  benefit  can  the  supposed 
infallibility  of  the  church  of  Rome  be  to  her  votaries,  if  the 
instrument  or  medium  of  conveying  its  decrees  to  them  be  not 
infallible  also  1     The  priest,  in  the  interpretation  of  decrees  and 
councils,  must  distinguish  between  what  is  to  be  rejected  and 
what  is  to  be  received,  and,  if  not  infallible,  may  himself  err. 
And,  again,  the  individual  to  whom  the  priest  addresses  himself, 
may,  if  not  infallible,  misconceive  his  meaning,  even  though  the 
priest  should  deliver  the  mind  of  his  church  aright.    Mr.  Maguire 
has  referred  to  the  Old  Testament,  to  prove  that  disobedience  to 
the  voice  of  the  priest  was  punished  with  death.     My  opponent 
should  remember,  that  in  Judea  the  law  of  God  was  the  law  of 
the  land,  Moses  having  dehvered  as  well  the  political  as  the 
moral  law  to  the  chosen  people  of  God.     The  Jewish  priest- 
hood were  specially  set  apart  for  the  study  of  that  which  at  once 
was  the  religious  and  the  civil  polity  of  the  Jews.     In  difficult 
cases  the  magistrate  therefore  appealed  to  their  opinion,  and 
their  verdict   decided    the  question.     Government  invests  its 
judges  with  authority  to  put  to  death :  we  do  not  argue  that  they 
are  consequently  infallible.     Though  it  be  distinctly  written, 
"  the  powers  that  be  are  ordained  of  God,  and  he  that  resisteth, 
shall  receive  to  himself  damnation,"  (Rom.  xiii,  1,)  it  does  not 
follow,  that  "  the  powers  that  be,"  are  infallible.     As  to  Herod's 
appeal  to  the  priests,  we  may  suppose  that  he  was  not  acquainted 
with  the  prophecies.     Did  the  Jewish  teachers  merely  ofl^er  their 
own  opinion  on  the  subject  of  his  inquiry?     No,  they  referred 
to  the  words  of  the  prophet. 

[And  applied  them,  observed  Mr.  Maguire.] 

Mr.  Maguire  has  talked  of  the  miracles  of  Xavier.  I  suppose 
that  they  may  be  paralleled  with  one  recorded  by  a  cardinal. 
We  are  told — 

"  As  St.  Anthony  was  disputing  concerning  the  truth  of  the  Lord's  body  in 
the  Eucharist  with  a  heretic,  the  hereUc  required  of  Anthony  this  sign :  Saya 
the  heretic,  "I  have  a  mule,  to  which  I  shall  give  no  meat  these  three  days. 
After  the  three  day's  end,  come  thou  with  the  sacrament,  and  1  will  come 
with  mv  mule,  and  will  pour  out  provender  before  it;  if  the  mule  leave  his 
provender,  ana  come  ana  vcncraiu  luc  aacniincjn,  *  rrm  v^n^r-^  ^  •--•- 
conditions  were  accepted,  and  after  three  days,  St.  Anthony  approached, 
l^ringing  the  sacrament    The  mule  forgetting  his  provender  and  his  hunger, 


THE    REFORMATION. 


195 


wont  forthwith  towards  the  hand  of  sainted  Anthony !  !"—BelIarmine  cTo 
Sacram.  Euchar.  Hb.  iii,  cup.  8,  prope  finem. 

In  reference  to  laymen,  I  would  suggest  to  my  friend,  that  in 
speaking  of  the  superiority  of  Moses  to  Aaron,  he  should  l^ear 
in  mind  that  Moses  was  a  layman.  We  are  told  that  Moses 
interceded  for  the  people,  so  did  Paul ;  but  though  while  they 
were  on  earth,  they  did  so,  does  it  follow  that  they  do  so  now  in 
heaven ;  if,  while  they  could  be  seen,  and  while  men  could  in 
person  request  them  to  pray  in  their  behalf,  they  complied  with 
their  solicitations,  does  it  follow  that  they  pray  for  us  now  in 
heaven,  or  can  hear  our  petitions  there.  I  did  not  say  that  our 
Saviour  did  not  lefer  to  his  miracles  ;  I  stated  that  he  appealed 
lo  the  written  word,  as  well  as  to  his  works,  and  not  exclusively 
to  the  latter.  I  am  asked,  where  was  the  church  of  Chr  st 
before  the  Reformation  ?  I  answer,  the  church  of  Christ  is  not 
confined  to  any  one  denomination.  I  hope  that  even  now  some 
of  its  menjbers  are  to  be  found  in  the  church  of  Rome :  but  I 
would  say  to  any  such  that  may  remain  within  her  pale, 

"  Come  out  of  her,  my  people,  that  ye  be  not  partakers  of  her  sins,  and  that 
ye  receive  not  of  her  plagues."— Apocilypse,  xviii,  4. 

The  members  of  Christ's  body  were  found  protesting  against 
the  church  of  Rome  long  before  the  Reformation—the  Wick- 
liffites  in  England,  and  the  Bohemians  and  the  Waldenses 
abroad.  We  shall  show,  upon  Roman  Catholic  testimony,  that 
the  principles  of  the  Reformation  were  only  the  tenets  of  the 
Waldenses  revived.  Ecchius  reproached  Luther  with  I'enewing 
the  heresies  of  the  Waldenses.  Lindanus,  Roman  Catholi* 
bishop  of  Ghent,  (1650,)  terms  Calvin  "the  inheritor  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  Waldenses."  Mezeray,  the  celebrated  historio- 
grapher of  France,  in  his  abridgment  of  Chronology,  says 

"  The  Waldenses  held  nearly  the  same  opinions  as  those  who 
are  now  called  Calvinists." 

Let  us  now  determine  the  antiquity  of  the  Waldenses  upon 
Roman  Catholic  authority.  Reinerius  Saccho,  an  inquisitor, 
and  the  most  inveterate  enemy  of  the  Waldenses,  gives  the 
following  account  of  them : 

"Inter  omnes  has  sectas,  quae  adhuc  sunt,  vel  fueruut,  non  est  pernieiosior 
ecclcsiae  quam  Leonistarum;  et  hoc  tribus  de  causis;  prima  est,  quia  est 
dititurnior;  alique  enim  dicunt,  quod  duravit  ft  tempore  Sylvostri;  aliqui  ft 
tempore  Apostolorum.  Secunda,  quia  est  generulior;  fere  enim  nulla  est 
terra,  in  qu^  ha!c  secta  non  est.  Tertia,  quia  cum  omnes  alise  secta;,  imma- 
nitate  blasphemiarum  m  Deum,  audientibus  horrorem  inducunt,  haec  magnum 
habet  speciem  pietatis,  ed  quod  coram  hominibus  justi  vivant,  et  bene  omnia 
de  Deo  credant,  et  omnes  articulos  qui  in  symbolo  continentur;  solummodo 
Roinanum  Ecclesiam  blasphemant  et  cicrum." 

"  Among  ail  the  sects  (tliere  were  sects,  you  perceive,  before  the  Reforma> 
tion,)  which  stili  are,  or  have  been,  there  is  not  one  more  pernicious  to  the 
church  than  that  of  tlie  Leonites ;  (a  name  by  which  tiie  Waldenses  were 


196 


THK    JU8TiriCATI0rf    OP 


■ometimts  called)  and  that  for  three  reaaonn.  The  first  i«,  because  it  is  th» 
oldest,  for  some  say  it  hnth  endured  from  the  time  of  Pope  Silvester;  others, 
from  the  time  of  the  JlposlUi.  The  second,  because  it  is  more  firencnil,  for 
there  is  scarce  any  country  where  tliis  sect  is  not.  The  third,  bpcouse  when 
all  other  sects  beget  horror  by  their  blusphemics  against  God,  this  o(  the 
Loonites  hath  a  great  show  of  piety,  jccause  they  live  justly  before  m. ;n,  ard 
believe  alt  thinga  rightly  concerning  God,  and  all  the  articles  contained  in 
.  the  creetl." 

What  then  was  the  head  and  front  of  their  offending  ?  Reine- 
rius  adds, 

"Only  they  blaspheme  the  church  of  Rome  and  the  clergy."— (Rein. 
Saccho.  edit.  Grctzer,  O.  S.  J.  cap.  iv,  p.  54.) 

I  shall  lay  before  you  another  testimony.  When  some  car- 
dinals and  prelates  accused  the  Waldenses  in  Merindol  and 
Cabriers,  of  grievous  crimes,  and  urged  Lewis  XII,  to  root 
them  out;  the  Waldenses,  having  notice  thereof,  sent  their 
deputies  to  his  majesty  to  declare  their  innocence.  The  pre- 
lates were  instant  upon  the  king,  not  to  give  them  any  audience; 
but  the  king  answered,  that  if  he  were  to  make  war  against  the 
Turk,  he  would  previously -hear  him.  The  king  accoiding'y 
sent  Adam  Fume,  his  muster  of  requests,  and  doctor  Parvi,  b-s 
confessor,  to  search  and  inquire  both  into  their  life  and  religion. 
The  commissioners  visited  tliose  places,  and  upon  their  return, 
reported  to  the  king  the  result  of  their  examination,  namely— 

"That  men  were  baptized— the  articles  of  failh,  and  the  ten  command- 
tnentswere  tauol.t— the  Lord's  day  obse.vcd— the  word  of  God  preached, 
and  no  show  of  wickedness  or  fornication  to  be  perceived  amongst  thern  : 
but  that  they  found  not  any  images  in  their  churches,  nor  any  ornaments 
belonging  to  the  mass." 

The  king  hearing  this  report  of  the  commissioners,  said,  (and 
he  bound  it  with  an  oath)  "  That  theij  were  better  men  than  he,  or 
the  rest  of  his  Catholic  subjects." 

"  Tumrex etiamsi,  inquit,  nihi  in  Turcam  aut  diabolum  helium  suscipiendum 
esset  cos  tamen  prius  audire  vellcm."— VVesenibecii  Oratio  de  Valdens,  D. 
418,  extat  in  Joach.  Camerarii  Histor.  Narrations  de  Fratrum.  Orthod.  Eccl. 

in  Bohemia.  ....        ,.••.•    i      i:j  •    . 

"Illi  ad  re«rcm  referunt,  illis  in  locis  homines  baptizari,  articulos  hdei  ^l 
decalo<^um  d<rceri,  dominicos  dies  religiose  coli,  Dei  verbum  exponi,  venefic-.a 
et  stupra  apud  eos  nulla  esse.  His  auditis  rex,  Jurejunando  addito,  me, 
inquit,  et  cetero  popula  ineo  Catholico  meliores  illi  viri  sunt."- Ibid.  p.  419. 

"Cetemm  se  m  ipsorum  templis  neque  imagines  neque  omamenta  mis?» 
uija  reperisse." — Ibid. 

When,  therefore,  I  am  asked,  where  was  your  religion  before 
the  days  of  Luther,  though  I  might  point  to  the  Bible  and  an8V'N.r 

li  in  the  Bible," as  God  did  not  leave  himself  without  witnesses, 

I  can  refer  to  the  Waldenses,  and  trace  their  origin  up  to  a 

of  purity.     Faber,  in  his  Difficulties  of  Romanism,  has  chal- 
lenged any  Roman  Catholic  divine,  undertaking  to  show  from 


THE    REFORMATION. 


!97 


the  early  Fathers,  that  the  doctrines  of  the  primitive  church  wcr« 
in  accordtuice  with  tho  doctrines  of  Protestantism. 

I  have  culled  upon  my  friend  to  bring  forward  his  proofs 
against  the  justification  of  the  Reformation— now,  perhaps,  we 
shall  have  a  flourish  of  trumpets.  I  have  stated,  that  the  separ- 
ation was  imperatively  called  for  by  the  moral  debasement  and 
unscriptural  doctrines  of  the  church  of  Rome— still  I  wouhl  say 
come  to  tho  question ;  disprove,  Mr.  Maguire,  if  you  can,  tho 
unmoral  condition  of  the  church  of  Rome,  and  the  unscriptural 
character  of  her  doctrines.  On  these  grounds,  I  repeat,  the 
relormers  were  justified  in  separating  from  her  communion; 
show  that  they  were  not  justified  in  that  separation.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  you  will  not  be  able  to  do  so.  Then  let  the  empire 
give  in  its  verdict,  that  the  Reformation  was  called  for  by  the 
moral  degradation,  and  by  the  anti-scriptural  doctrines  of  the 
church  of  Rome. 

Mr.  Maguire.- Mr.  Pope  has  talked  of  a  challenge  published 
by  a  Mr.  Faber.     I  imagined  thqy  had  not  a  greater  man  to 
produce  on  the  other  side  than  Mr.  Pope  himself;  and  when  I 
joined  issue  with  him,  I  supposed  that  I  had  to  contend  against 
the  best  advocate  of  their  cause.     I  may  remark,  that  1  have 
not  stood  up  here  for  the  infallibility  of  the  Pope.     If  Liberius 
did  sign  the  confession  of  Sirmium,  which  Mr.  Pope  has  not 
proved,  it  was  on  being  freed  from  long  confinemenr,  and  from 
suffering.    Mr.  Pope  has  not  extricated  himself  from  the  dilemma 
in  which  I  involved  him,  as  to  the  power  of  an  ignorant  Protestant 
to  make  an  act  of  faith  upon  the  inspiration  of  the  scriptures. 
How  can  the  Protestant  free  himself  from  doubts  ?     He  has  no 
means  of  solving  all  the  difficulties  connected  with  the  scriptures. 
He  must  remove  them  through  the  instrumentality  of  private 
judgment,  or  be  a  deist,  or  an  atheist.     When  I  produced  the 
authority  of  the  holy  Fathers  of  the  early  ages,  to  prove  that  the 
Bible  is  the  word  of  God,  I  did  not  contradict  my  principles ; 
but  Mr.  Pope  violates  his  principles,  when  he  adduces  authority 
to  satisfy  the  doubting  Protestant.     I  have  put  certain  queries 
to  Mr.  Pope,  and  I  cannot  prevail  upon  him  even  to  altempl  an 
answer  to  them.     Mr.  Pope  has  talked  of  the  Son  of  God  having 
leti  the  perfect  scriptures  to  man.     I  have  to  complain,  that  Mr! 
Pope  puts  into  my  mouth  doctrines,  which  I  by  no  means  enter- 
tain.    I  consider  that  the  scriptures,  as  far  as  they  go,  contain 
a  rule  and  system  of  perfect  morality.     The  scriptures  I  study 
and  revere :  but  I  abhor  the  principle  which  would  convert  the 
scriptures  info  inslruments  of  infidelity.     I  maintain,  that  we 
sh'juid  not  be  allowed  to  abuse  those  scriptures  which  Christ 
lef\  to  his  church.     Christ  did  not  leave  tticra  to  be  interpreted 

17* 


'  > 


198 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OP 


by  the  varying  and  capricious  judgment  of  each  individual,  but 
to  be  read  according  to  the  interpretation  of  his  church.  Every 
man  possesses  a  divine  right  to  read  the  scriptures  in  the  three 
languages  in  which  they  were  originally  written,  viz ;  Hebrew, 
Greek,  and  Latin.  These  were  the  channels  through  which  the 
pure  scriptures  were  transmitted.  But  is  a  man  to  adopt  the 
translations  of  Luther,  of  Calvin,  and  of  other  heretical  reformers? 
Or  does  it  follow  that  the  same  divine  right  to  read  the  scriptures 
in  the  originals,  can  be  transferred  to  varying  and  variable  trans- 
lations 1  I  could  prove  that  (Ecolampadius  corrupted  the  scrip- 
tures in  more  than  one  thousand  places.  Again,  if  Luther  and 
Calvan  were  justified  in  their  conduct,  the  same  principle  would 
justify  Arius,  Cerinthus,  Eutychius,  Manicheus,  Montanus,  the 
Muggletonians,  &c,  &c.  The  same  principle  would  justify 
Mr.  Pope  in  reforming  the  church  of  England— taking  away 
twenty-one  out  of  ty-nine  articles,  demolishing  her  spiritual 

authority,  abolish  prelates  and  pastors  (whose  succession 

is  derived  from  th  ..h  which  Protestants  refuse  to  acknow- 

ledge) and,  in  fine,  a  similar  principle  would  justify  Mr.  Pope  m 
tearing  up  the  church>of  England  by  the  roots.  But  it  would 
be  an  endless  task,  to  endeavour  to  enumerate  the  sects  and 
divisions  to  which  that  principle  has  given,  and  must  continue 
to  give  origin.  These  endless  sects  were  well  described  by 
Bossuet,  in  his  History  of  the  Protestant  Variations.  He  says, 
"  The  raging  sea  is  not  furrowed  by  more  waves,  nor  does  the 
uncultivated  land  produce  more  thistles  and  thorns,  thai,  the 
Reformation  has   produced  rehgions,  since  the  epoch  of  its 

introduction."  r        *u 

If  the  principle,  that  every  man  has  a  right  to  retorm  the 
church  be  once  proclaimed,  a  reformation  of  the  church  of 
England  will  necessarily  follow.  It  will  be  soon  discovered 
that  she  can  be  approximated  to  a  more  perfect  standard  of 
evangelical  perfection— I,  by  the  same  principle  may  commence 
reformer  of  the  church  of  England,  by  asserting  that  her  scrip- 
tnies  are  not  all  pure,  and  I  may  strike  off  several  books  from 
the  canonical  list,  and  would  I  not  have  as  clear  and  as  undoubted 
a  right  to  do  so,  as  Mr.  Pope  has  to  reject  what  he  calls  the 
Apocrypha.  In  fine,  if  one  man  rejected  one  part,  and  anothei: 
another  part,  would  not  the  consequence  be,  that  the  whole  Bible 
would  become  questionable  at  last. 

Mr.  Pope  talks  of  some  loose  and  immoral  characters,  mem- 
bers of  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  Have  I  not  forborne  to 
to  mention  a  quondam  Protestant  Bishop  of  Waterford,  and 
another  bishop  of  more  recent  nciorieuj.  t.      u      u    e 

Suppose  I  proclaim  a  cc  nplete  reformation  of  the  church  of 
England,  what  right  would  Mr.  Pope  possess  to  call  me  to  an 


THE    REFORMATION. 


199 


account  ?  I  would  say,  that  her  rich,  and  gorgeous,  an  I  pam- 
pered hierarchy,  ill  accorded  with  the  doctrines  of  the  humble 
Redeemer — I  would  say,  that  in  this  country  particularly,  she 
took  every  thing  from  the  poor,  and  gave  them  nothing  in  return. 
Would  Mr.  Pope  call  me  to  order?  Every  man  according  to 
his  principles,  has  a  right  to  preach.  Here  is  Mr.  Pope  himself^ 
almost  a  layman,  teaching  ant  preaching  to  ecclesiastics. 

I  shall  now  give  you  Luther's  character  as  drawn  by  himself. 
He  sketches  his  own  portrait  in  better  and  truer  colour  j,  I  fancy, 
and  more  to  the  life,  than  if  he  had  sat  for  it  to  the  beet  literary 
Uinner  in  existence.  1  ly  ve  here  the  German  text,  and  it  is 
from  the  translation  of  it,  I  shall  select  the  following  passages : 

"I,  Martin  Luther,  as  to  those  matters  (matters  of  faith)  am,  and  wish  to 
bo  deemed  obstinate,  contumacious,  and  violent;  and  let  this  be  my  creed,  I 
yield  to  no  man." 

"  I  am  a  doctor  above  all  doctors,  and  an  unwortliy  evangelist  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  I,  Martin  Luther,  by  the  grace  of  God,  evangelist  of  Wittem- 
bergh,  [,  Doctor  Martin  Luther,  am  your  Apostle,  I  am  a  prophet,  I  am 
Isaiah,  to  the  iionour  of  God  and  to  the  confusion  of  the  devil.  A  second 
John  the  Baptist — a  great  hero — a  most  rare  man — such  as  has  not  existed 
for  many  a^es— I  am  a  saint  of  God.     My  mouth  is  the  mouth  op  Christ 

— I  AM  NOT  FAR  FROM  THINEINO  MYSELF  A  GoD  !  !" 

"  May  thunder  and  lightning — hell's  fire  and  brimstone,  plagues,  and  every 
dirty  and  filthy  evil  fall  upon  the  two  twins  of  the  devil,  the  Pope  and  hig 
cardinals." 

He  calls  Henry  the  eighth  of  England, 

"A  fool" — "a  madman" — "a  lunatic" — a  monster  of  insanity" — "an 
ass"—"  a  hog"—"  a  log" — "  a  knave" — "  a  devil "— "  an  imp" — "  a  robber." 

He  calls  Henry,  Duke  of  Brunswick, 

"A  buffoon  "—"a  blackguard "—"  an  idiot '—"a  lecher"— and  "an 
effeminate." 

He  sacrilegiously  added  the  word  "  only"  to  the  text  of  St. 
Paul,  respecting  justification  by  faith ;  and  when  upbraided  with 
the  corruption,  he  replied, 

"If  any  papist  shall  start  up  again..t  this  word  only,  immediately  oppose  to 
him  the  will  of  Dr.  Martin  Luther,  who  asserts  that  the  Pope  and  an  ass  are 
one  and  the  same  thing,  (quid  unum  el  idem)  and  who  is  a  doctor  above  all 
Popes  and  doctors." 

Again,  he  says, 

"  In  studying  the  scriptures,  follow  this  rule — if  you  perceive  any  command 
in  the  scriptures  about  performing  good  works,  understand  such  command 
to  be  a  prohibition  against  the  performance  of  good  worka,  for  this  reason,  that 
every  man  is  incapable  of  doing  a  good  work." 

Again,  of  these  words  of  Christ  to  his  Apostles — "Ye  are  the 
light  of  the  world."  Luther  makes  the  following  version — vos 
estis  stircus  in  laierna — "  Ye  are  filth  in  a  lantern."     Again, 


"^>IIM3L,   111   trie 


^*Ui»«r«     Kii«- 


mA»>^k  4ir»tmn— 


idol.     He  who  believes  in  Christ  will  be  damned  according  to  papists. 
Christ  be  truly  Christ,  then  monks  and  nuna  cannot  be  Christians." 


nacnin 
1 — a*"" 

If 


200  THK    JUSTIFICATIOJN    OF 

"In  two  years'  time,  my  gospel  will  be  bo  diffused,  tS^  the  Pope,  and  hM 
bishops,  and  priests,  and  monks,  and  nuns,  and  bells,  and  towers,  and  ccll& 
and  the  mass,  will  be  no  more  heard  of;  in  short,  there  will  be  an  end  of 
Popery  altogether." 

"A  pious  man  sinncth  in  every  good  work.    A  good  work,  no  mattes 

HOW    WEU.    PERFORMED,  IS,   NEVERTHELESS,   A    Dl'.ADLT    SIN.      He   wllO  be> 

lieveth,can  neitlier  be  a  sinner,  nor  an  adulterer.  I  find  nothing  pure  or  holy 
either  in  myself,  or  in  all  mankind,  and  all  our  good  works  are  like  lice  on 
an  old  skin." 

To  his  wife  Catherine,  whom  he  seduced  from  her  three  vows 
of  poverty,  chastity,  and  obedience,  he  says, 

"  As  it  is  not  in  my  power,  who  am  a  man,  to  become  a  woman,  nor  in 
your  power,  who  art  a  woman,  to  become  a  man ;  so  neither  is  it  in  my 
power  to  do  without  a  woman,  nor  in  your's  to  do  without  a  man." 

As  to  his  contradictory  doctrines,  the  following  are  a  few,  out 
of  many  hundred  specimens : 

"I  believe  in  puro;atory,  and  I  know  it  to  be  true  that  souls  are  tortured 
there,  and  may  be  relieved  by  prayers,  fasting,  and  alms." 

And  in  another  place,  he  says, 

"I  confidently  assert  that  purgatory,  with  all  its  ceremonies  and  mimio 
worship,  is  a  diabolical  crime,  a?  being  diametrically  opposed  to  that  cardinal 
article,  that  the  salvation  of  souls  rests  upon  the  merits  of  Christy  and  not 
of  men." 

Again,  he  says, 

"  Whoever  preaches  against  the  doctrine  of  pontifical  indulgence!),  let  him 
be  accursed."     And — 

"  The  indulgences  which  are  practised  in  the  Roman  church  are  execrable 
frauds." 

"Above  all  things  it  is  necessary,  and  the  scripture  itself  plainly  teaches, 
that  God  wishes  all  voios  to  be  fulfilled."     Again — 

"I  wish  I  could  persuade  all  mankind  that  all  vows  of  whatsoever  descrip- 
tion, should  be  despised,  and  that  every  person  should  enjoy  the  liberty  of 
the  gospel." 

"Let  us  abstain  from  all  sins,  but  in  particular  from  all  good  works,  for  all 
the  good  ioorks  we  perform  are  dead." 

"It  is  impossible  for  us  to  resist  the slighest  temptcdion  to  sin,  and  the  scrip- 
tare  itself  teaches  that  we  are  slaves  of  the  devil,  and  as  it  were  the  subjects 
of  God  our  prince." 

"»4  vow  of  chastity  is  worse  than  adultery  and  impurity." 

"  It  is  not  so  much  my  desire  to  demonstrate  how  chastity  is  to  be  observed, 
but  that  it  is  impossible,  and  ought  not  to  be  o-ocrved." 

"If  any  one  shall  correct  you  for  speaking  smuttily,  let  this  be  your  reply 
— What  then  ?     If  the  whole  world  be  ofTended,  we  nmst  obey  necessity." 

"If  Huss  was  a  heretic,  I  will  be  ten  times  a  greater  one." 

"  I  am  often  in  doubt  whether  I  teach  the  truth  or  not" 

"This  thing  (the  Reformation)  neither  commenced  on  God's  account,  nciT 
vill  it  end  on  God's  account 

He  had  also  the  sacrilegious  audacity  to  corrupt  the  Apostles 
creed,  where,  inatead  of  "  I  believe  the  Catholic  church,"  he 
substitutes,  "  I  believe  the  Christian  church,"  well  judging  thaC* 
be  had  no  claim  to  Catholicity. 


THE    REVORMATION. 


201 


. 


He  also  conCesses,  that  ho  eat  a  bushel  of  salt  with  the  devil 
—that  he  slept  oftener  with  him  than  with  his  wife  Catherine— 
that  when  he  had  not  the  devil  appended  about  his  neck,  he  was 
a  mere  dry  theologian. — Vide  Le  Roy  Labyrintho,  cap.  *3,  el 
ipsum  Lutherum,  de  Missa  Angulari*  CoUoquia  mensalia,  et 
Tomun— 7  vol.  228. 

If  the  foregoing  extracts  from  Luther's  works  be  genuine,  and 
I  challenge  inquiry  on  the  subject,  1  put  this  single  question — 
would  the  Almighty  and  all-wise  God  employ  such  an  instrument 
to  reform  his  church? 

Again  in  his  book  De  Missa  Privata,  (von  der  Winckelmesz,) 
he  acknowledges  and  describes  at  large  his  famous  conference 
with  the  devil,  in  which  he  confesses  to  have  been  prevailed 
upon  by  his  satanic  majesty  to  abrogate  private  masses — the 
arguments  employed  by  the  devil  were  five  in  number.  The 
work  in  which  this  conference  is  to  be  found,  was  written  in 
German  by  Luther's  own  hand,  and  translated  into  Latin  at 
Luther's  own  request,  by  Justus  Jonas.  See  also  'I'anner  in 
his  Anatomy  of  Luther. 

Such,  Gentlemen,  were  tho  doctrines  of  this  arch-reformer, 
ai.d  Protestant  Apostle,  derived,  if  we  can  believe  himself,  from 
th'^  devil,  the  father  of  lies.  My  learned  friend  sometimes  differs 
from  Luthei^— Luther  from  my  learned  friend — which  of  them 
will  you  follow  ? 

Luther  thus,  thrasonically,  expresses  himself  elsewhere — 

''  Here  I  stand— here  I  sit — here  I  remain — here  I  boast— here  I  triumph — 
here  I  insult  the  papists,  the  Thomists,  the  Henrycisls,  the  Sophists,  and  all 
the  gates  of  hell — yea,  and  all  the  words  of  men,  no  matter  how  sanctified. 
The  divine  Majesty  has  enabled  me  to  set  at  nought  a  thousand  Augustin's, 
a  thousand  Cyprians,  though  they  should  stand  up  against  me." 

The  two  following  brief  quotations  from  Luther  I  dare  not 

translate : 

♦'Gluv  Diabolum  novit  Confidenter  ei  d.\c\t,  Imxht,  mihi  nates ; —crepitus 
ventris  longius  fugat  Diabolum  quam  sacra  scriptura! !" 

The  above  are  to  be  seen  by  any  inquirer  in  the  original 
German. 

Dr.  Heylin,  a  most  learned  Protestant  historian,  gives  the 
following  account  of  the  introduction  of  the  new  Lutheran  doc- 
trines into  Dantzick  (in  his  Cosmogony,  p.  148  :) 

"  Dantzick  was  the  first  town  in  the  kingdom  of  Poland  which  gave  en- 
trance to  the  doctrines  of  Luther,  Anno  1525,  but  in  so  tumultuous  a  manner, 
that  they  who  favoured  his  opinions,  deposed  the  old  common-council  men, 
and  created  new  ones  of  their  own — prcnhatifd  the  Churches,  robbed  them  of 
their  ornaments,  and  shamefully  abused  the  priests  and  reli'^ious  persons — 
abolished  ihe  muss — and  altered  all  things  at  their  plcusure.  But  by  the 
commff  of  the  King,  they  grew  somewhat  quieter,  leaving  the  convent  of 
Black  Friars  to  two  nuns,  who  still  enjoy  the  exercise  of  their  religion." 


S02 


THE    JUSTIFICATION    OP 


The  same  writer  says,  (Ibidem,  liook  II,  page  36.) 
"Whilst  the  Lutherans  were  thus  playing  their  game,  there  started  up 
Another  party,  begun  at  first  by  Zuinglius,  amongst  the  Switzers.  Theiw, 
not  communicating  councils,  went  two  different  ways,  especially  m  the  point* 
ofconsubstantiation  and  the  real  presence.  Not  reconciled  m  their  times, 
nor  like  to  be  aoreed  upon  by  tlieir  followers.  For  Calvin,  rising  into  the 
esteem  and  pkiw;  of  Zuinglius,  added  some  texts  of  his  own  to  the  former 
doctrines,  touching  predestination,  free-will,  &c,  by  which  the  differences 
were  widened,  and  the  breach  made  irreparable:  tins  course  being  lollowed 
on  each  side  with  great  impatience,  as  if  they  did  not  sU^ive  so  much  for  truth 
as  victory,'^ 

Again,  the  same  writer  says,  (page  136.) 

"In  the  year  1528,  religion  being  altered,  in  a  tumult  of  the  people  in  the 
Canton  of  Berne,  near  adjoining  to  Geneva,  Viret  and  Farrellus,  two  Zuing- 
lian  preachers,  did  endeavour  it  in  Geneva  also.  But  finding  that  the  bishop 
and  cler«»y  did  not  like  Uieir  doings,  Uiey  screwed  themselves  into  the  people, 
and  by  tSeir  aid,  in  a  popular  tumult,  compelled  the  bishop  and  his  clergy  to 
abandon  the  town.  Nor  did  they  only  in  that  tumult  alter  the  doctnne  and 
orders  of  the  church  before  established,  but  changed  the  governrnent  of  the 
state  also,  disclaiming  all  allegiance  both  to  duke  and  bishop,  and  standing 
on  their  oxen  liberty  as  a  free  commonwealth.  And  though  all  this  was  done 
by  Viret  arid  Farrellus,  before  Calvin's  coming  to  that  city,  which  was  not 
till  1536,  yet,  being  come,  no  man  %oas  forxoarder  than  he  to  approve  the 
action.  And  that  rather  than  their  discipline  should  not  be  admitted,  and  the 
episcopal  government  destroyed  in  all  the  churches  of  Christ,  they  were 
resolved  to  depose  kings,  ruin  kingdoms,  and  to  subvert  the  fundamental  con- 
ititution  of  ali  civU  states.''^  ^ 

It  cannot  be  inappropriate  to  give  a  short  account  of  these 
principal  reformers.  Luther  was  taken  suddenly  ill  after  eatmg 
a  hearty  supper,  and  died  in  the  night.  Zuinglius  was  killed  in 
a  rebellion  excited  by  himself  and  his  party,  against  the  Catholic 
cantons,  anno  1531.  (Ecolampadius  was  found  dead  m  his  bed, 
before  Luther  met  his  fate  ;  the  latter  did  not  hesitate  to  declare, 
that  he  was  strangled  by  the  devil.— (Lib.  de  Miss.  Priv.  et 
Unit.  Sacr.  Tome  vil,  p.  260.)  Calvin,  in  the  year  1664,  died 
of  a  dreadful  complication  of  distempers,  which  Catholics  arid 
some  Protestants  assure  us  he  bore  so  ill,  that  he  expired  in 
despair,  blaspheming  God,  and  invoking  the  devils.  See  Bol- 
seck,  in  his  book  of  Calvin's  Life.— Schlusselburgh,  a  learned 
Lutheran,  in  Theol.  Calviniana,  printed  anno  1594,  p.  72. — 
Herenius,  a  Calvinistic  preacher,  declares,  that  he  was  an  eye 
witness  of  Calvin's  tragical  end,  and  that  he  died  in  despair,  of  a 
most  filthy  and  stinking  disease.— See  his  Liber,  de  vita  Calvmi. 
The  following  testimony  is  given  by  Melancthon  to  the  char- 
acter of  the  reformers.  It  is  taken  from  his  Commentary  on 
St.  Matt.  6th  ch. 

"  It  is  plain,  that  in  these  countries  (he  speaks  of  the  countries  which  em- 
braced  Luther's  reformation)  men's  whole  concern  is  almost  about  banquet- 

ting,  drunkenness,  ana  carousing,     xiisu  =u  =ti<x,.5.  .j  "«r." ■ t---r--T 

that  most  men  are  persuaded  that  if  they  do  but  fast  one  day,  tivey  must  dia 
the  following  night" 


i 


4 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    TRANSUB8TANTIATIDN.         20S 

So  you  perceive,  gentlemen,  fasting  was  not  then  exploded. 
I  may  remark,  in  reference  to  some  arguments  of  Mr.  Pope  on 
the  subject,  that  the  Albigenses  and  Waldenses  retained  to  the 
last  the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  They,  therefore,  cannot  be 
legitimately  numbered  amongst  the  reformers.  1  could  quote 
many  foul  and  scandalous  passages  from  the  works  of  Calvin, , 
and  other  reformers,  in  proof  of  the  happy  improvement  in 
morals  and  religion,  which  they  introduced  by  throwing  off  the 
yoke  of  what  they  called  a  superstition,  and  giving  full  scope  to 
the  licentious  and  desolating  principles  of  the  Reformation. 

Jacobus  Andreas  (in  Luke  21)  says, 

"  The  other  part  of  the  Germans,  viz ;  the  Protestants,  give  due  place  to 
the  preaching  of  the  word  of  God ;  but  no  amendment  of  manners  is  found 
among  them  ;  on  the  contrary,  we  see  them  lead  an  abominable  voluptuous 
becatly  life ;  instead  of  fasts,  they  spend  whole  nights  and  days  in  revelry  and 
drunkenness." 

Cranmer  was  a  good  example  of  the  cehbacy  of  the  reformers — 
he  brought  his  wife  over  with  him  in  a  chest  to  England,  but 
through  a  mistake  in  the  landing  it,  the  sailors  turned  up  the 
wrong  end  of  the  chest;  the  consequence  was,  that  its  fair 
inmate  was  forced  to  cry  out  for  relief,  and  the  hypocrital  hus- 
band was  obliged  to  expose  her  to  the  public  view.  I  hava  many 
other  quotations  here  ;  as  to  the  character  of  the  modern  reform- 
ers, but  I  find  I  have  not  time  at  present  to  read  them  to  you. 


Fifth  Day — Tuesday,  April  24. 


SUBJECT.—"  The  doctrine  of  Transubstantiatton.** 
Admiral  0/.iver  and  John  Dillon,  Esq.,  in  the  Chair. 

Mr.  Pope. — 1  beg  to  call  upon  Mr.  Maguire  for  proofs  of  the 
doctrme  of  Transubstantiation. 

Mr.  Maguire. — Gentlemen,  as  it  was  agreed  upon  yester- 
day, not  to  recur  to  the  question  of  the  Reformation,  I  shall  at 
once  proeed  to  the  very  important  subject  of  this  day's  discus- 
sion— namely,  Transubstantiation.  It  is  a  question  of  the  most 
solemn  complexion,  and  I  trust  that  although  my  friend  Mr. 
Pope  will  be  obliged,  by  his  established  principles  t^.  differ  from 
me  on  this  occasion,  that  he  will  indulge  in  no  use^  «  and  pro- 
PHANE  sarcasms  against  a  doctrine  which  I  shall  prove  to  have 
been  openly  established  for  eighteen  hundred  years.  1  sincerely 
trust,  that  in  the  course  of  this  day's  discussion,  my  friend  will 


804         THE    DOCTRINE    OP    TRAN8UB8TAN  TIATION.  . 

not  make  use  of  any  expression,  which  would  be,  according  to 
my  principles,  an  absolute  blasphemy  against  the  Son  of  God. 
If  the  doctrine  which  I  undertake  to  defend  be  that  which  was 
weached  by  the  Apostles  and  received  by  them  from  Christ,  then 
it  would  be  manifest  blasphemy  to  utter  any  sarcasm  against 
this  great  and  fundamental  tenet.  Before  1  enter  upon  my  direct 
proofs,  I  shall  beg  leave  to  draw  your  attention  to  one  important 
fact.  We  are  told  that  Melchisedech,  a  priest  of  the  Most  High, 
»*  made  an  offering  of  bread  and  wine ;"  and  St.  Paul  assures 
us  that  Christ  "  was  a  high  priest  for  ever  according  to  Ike  order 
of  MelcheaidecV  Now,  if  the  same  offering  or  sacrifice  be 
not  continued  till  the  consummation  of  ages,  Christ  could  not 
be  a  priest /or  ever  according  to  the  order  of  Mclchesidech.  I 
could  prepare  your  minds  with  further  prefatory  observations, 
but  the  dogma  which  I  maintain  is  so  clear  and  so  sustpinable, 
that  I  proceed  at  once  to  my  direct  arguments. 

First,  then,  I  refer  you  to  the  sixth  chapter  of  St.  John,  where 
our  Saviour  draws  a  comparison  between  the  bread  which  he 
promised  to  bequeath  for  the  life  of  the  world  and  the  manna 
which  came  down  from  heaven  to  feed  the  distressed  Israelites. 

"The  bread  (said  he)  that  I  will  give  you,  is  ny  flesh  for  the  life  of  the 
world.  Your  Fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the  dfs jrt,  and  are  dead;  d  any 
man  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever." 

Our  Redeemer  here  extols  what  he  was  about  to  give  at  his 
last  supper,  far  beyond  the  bread  which  we  know  descended 
from  heaven.  Now,  in  my  mind,  the  latter  would  have  been 
far  superior  to  the  former,  if  our  Saviour  had  left  us  nothing  but 
a  bit  of  bread  and  a  drop  of  wine.  Many  of  those  who  were 
present,  and  some  of  them  his  disciples,  were  shocked  at  the 
expression,  and  they  asked  how  was  it  possible  that  he  could 
give  them  his  flesh  to  eat?  What  was  the  conduct  then  of  our 
Lord  who  came  to  instruct  all  unto  salvation,  and  who  neither 
could  deceive  nor  be  deceived  1  Instead  of  representing  to  them 
their  mistake  or  correcting  their  error,  if  it  were  one,  he  says, 

"  Amen,  Amen,  I  say  unto  you  ;  unless  you  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of 
Man,  and  drink  his  blood,  you  shall  not  have  life  in  you." 

At  this,  many  of  his  disciples  who  followed  him  through  all 
dangers  and  persecutions,  all  those  who  were  about  him  from 
Capernaum,  went  back,  and  xvalked  no  longer  with  him.  Would 
he,  the  benign  and  beneficent  Jesus,  who  had  descended  upon 
earth  to  lead  man  from  sin,  and  who  was  about  to  offer  himself 
upon  the  cross  for  man's  redemption,  would  he  suffer  those  per- 
sons to  depart,  believing  that  he  spoke  of  a  reality,  and  not 
explain  to  them  their  error,  if  indeed,  it  were  an  error?  Would 
he'have  suffered  them  to  fail  innocently  into  error,  when  he  could 
have  so  easily  corrected  their  misapprehension?     I  ask  any 


vi 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    TRAN8UBSTANTIATI0N. 


206 


f 


reasonable  man,  had  not  (he  people  of  Capernaun),  in  whose 
vernacular  language  (the  Syriac)  our  Lord  then  spoke,  a  Wetter 
opportunity  of  knowing  the  meaning  of  the  words  of  our  Saviour 
on  this  occasion,  than  we  who  live  at  the  distance  of  eighteen 
hundred  years,  whose  habits  and  language  are  confessedly  dif- 
ferent? When  our  Lord  declared,  "  the  bread  that  I  will  give  is 
my  flesh  for  the  life  of  the  world,"  they  then  understood  Jesus 
to  speak  of  real  flesh  and  real  blood;  and  accordingly  they  walked 
no  longer  with  him.  He  did  not  correct  their  error,  if  such  it 
were.  What  more  easy  for  him  than  to  say,  (if  that  were  his 
meaning)  that  he  did  not  intend  to  give  thorn  his  real  flesh  and 
blood — that  he  only  spoke  in  a  figurative  sense?  But  Jesus 
made  no  such  correction.  If  it  were  not  his  real  body  and 
blood  of  which  Christ  then  spoke,  he  led  those  people  into  error: 
but  that  supposition  is  manifest  blasphemy.  Hence  I  conclude, 
that  the  Jews  were  right  when  they  understood  him  to  speak  of 
his  real  body  and  real  blood.  It  may  )e  said  that  the  error  of  his 
disciples,  and  of  the  people  of  Capernaum,  was  one  which  Christ 
was  not  obliged  to  correct.  But,  as  St.  Augustin  remarks, 
though  the  Jews  in  a  gross  and  carnal  manner  understood  him 
to  mean  that  he  would  give  his  flesh  to  them  like  meat  taken 
from  a  butcher^s  stalls  yet  they  understood  him  to  speak  of  a 
realitxj ;  and  if  he  did  not  mean  to  give  them  his  flesh  really,  the 
error  could  have  been  easily  corrected.  But  Christ  was  not 
called  upon  to  tell  them  how  it  would  be  really  given — that  being 
a  secret  not  to  be  communicated  till  the  period  of  redemption 
was  arrived.  That,  indeed,  would  be  exposing  the  mysteries  of 
heaven  before  the  time.  This  argument  appears  to  me  to  be 
insuperable.  I  will  be  told,  in  the  language  of  Christ:  "It  is 
the  spirit  th.»t  quickeneth ;  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing."  I  will 
show  greater  authority  tor  my  interpretation  of  those  words  than 
they  can,  who  endeavour  to  explain  away  the  words  of  our 
Saviour.  I  can  produce  the  passages  in  the  holy  Fathers,  in 
which  they  quote  those  identical  words  in  order  to  show  their 
meaning.  We,  who  admit  the  real  presence,  hold,  that  those 
who  receive  Christ  in  the  sacrament  of  the  altar,  if  they  do  not 
receive  the  sacrament  worthily  and  with  the  proi)er  dispositions, 
do  not  receive  with  it  the  spirit  of  God — that  though  they  receive 
the  substance  of  the  sacrament,  the  flesh  doth  not  profit  them. 
Hear  what  St.  Paul  says, 

"He  that  eatefh  and  drinketh  unworthily,  oateth  and  drinkcth  judgment 
to  himself,  not  diocerning  the  body  of  the  Lord." 

But  it  is  behind  the  sacred  words  of  eternal  truth,  fulfilled  and 
verified  by  Christ  at  the  last  supper,  that  I  take  my  stand.    Upon 
re/ragabie  proofs. — What  Christ  promised  in  the 
f  St.  John,  \iQ  fulfilled  at  bis  last  supper.     When 
18 


chapte 


SOG 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    TRANSUBSTANTlATlOIf. 


solemnly  seated  at  the  board  with  his  chosen  twelve,  he  took 
bread,  blessed  it,  broke  it,  and  gave  it  to  them  saying,  "Take 
ye  and  eat,  this  is  my  body." — And  presenting  them  with  the 
chalice,  he  said,  ♦'  Drink  ye  all  of  this,  for  this  is  my  blood  of 
the  New  Testament,  which  shall  be  shed  for  many  for  the 
remission  of  sins."  What  Christ  then  promised  in  the  sixth  of 
John,  he  here  fulfilled  to  the  letter,  and  must  we  not  take  his 
words  in  their  natural  and  obvious  sense  1  Shall  we  resort  to 
tropes,  and  figurCvS,  and  metaphors,  in  order  to  explain  away  the 
word  of  the  Lord  {  If  Mr.  Pope  exercises  his  private  judg 
ment  on  the  passage,  and  pertinaciously  adheres  to  his  inter- 
pretation of  the  words,  it  is  impossible  we  could  agree  upon  the 
matter.  I  adhere  firmly  and  steadily  to  the  doctrine  of  the 
church.  Look  to  the  primitive  ages  of  Christianity — examine 
the  successors  of  the  Apostles,  who  believed  and  taught  what 
was  believed  and  taught  by  the  Apostles  themselves,  and  who 
transmitted  the  doctrines  to  their  successors.  They  are  all  in 
support  of  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiution.  I  shall  first  quote 
the  passage  from  St.  Cyril  of  Jerusalem,  in  his  Mystagog.  Cat. 
4,  where  taking  as  his  text  the  words  of  St.  Paul,  "  For  I  re- 
ceived of  the  Lord  that  which  I  also  have  delivered  unto  you," 
speaks  thus  of  the  real  presence  and  of  transubstantiation. 

"This  doctrine  of  the  blessed  Paul  may  be  sufficient  to  satisfy  you  con- 
cerning the  divine  mystciics  which  you  have  received,  that  you  have  been 
made  partakers  of  the  boily  and  blood  of  Christ ;  for  he  now  says,  that  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  the  same  night  in  whicli  he  was  betrayed,  took  bread, 
and  gave  it  to  his  disciples,  saying,  'Take,  eat;  this  is  mt  body.'  And 
taking  the  chaUcc,  and  giving  thanks,  said,  'Take,  drink  ;  this  is  mt  blood.' 
Since  Christ  himself,  liien,  did  so  affirm,  and  say  of  the  bread,  'This  is  my 
body,'  who  shall  from  thenceforth  prenime  to  make  (tny  doubt  of  it  ?  And  since 
he  affirms  and  says, '  This  is  my  blood,'  who,  I  say,  shall  doubt,  and  say  it  is 
not  his  blood  ?  He  once  changed  water  into  wine  (which  has  some  likeness 
to  blood)  in  Cana  of  Galilee,  by  his  own  power;  and  shall  he  not  be  thought 
worthy  of  belief  in  changing  wine  into  blood  ?  Being  invited  to  an  earthly 
marriage,  he  wrought  this  stupEndous  vdraclc,  and  shall  we  not  much  rather 
co»i/ess,  that  he  gave  his  own  body  and  blood  to  tiie  children  of  the  bridegroom? 
Therefore,  with  full  assurance  let  us  receive  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ 
For  under  the  type  (or  appearance)  of  bread  the  body  is  given  unto  thee,  and 
under  the  type  of  wine  the  blood  ;  that  receiving  the  body  and  blood  of 
Christ,  tliou  mayest  be  co-partner  with  him  of  his  body  and  blood;  so  shall  we 
be  Chnsiephori,  carriers  of  Christ,  when  we  receive  his  body  and  blood  into 
our  members  ;  and  by  this  means  (as  St.  Peter  saith)  be  made  partakers  of 
the  divine  nature.  Do  not  consider  them  as  naked  bread  and  naked  vme,  for 
it  is  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  according  to  the  words  of  our  Lord  himself. 
For  though  your  senses  shmdd  suggest  this- to  you,  yet  let  faith  confirm  you. — 
Judge  not  oi  the  thing  by  the  taste,  but  rather  be  more  certainly  assured  by 
faith,  so  as  to  leave  no  room  for  a  doubt  but  that  the  body  and  blood  are 
given  to  thee.  This  knowing,  and  of  this  being  assured,  that  what  appears 
TO  you  bread  is  not  bread,  but  tho  body  of  Christ,  although  the  taste  judges  it 

a.     L^    JL i   .       — .~  J     *!-..-«*    fU^  ....MA    ...Uw«l%    «.»■■    «<^n      nr>J    \>*K>oll    Vino    iKf>   #MPI«    yt/'«ii«MA 

ttr  crc  vrrtzfi  y    aiiu  Mint  itxc  tt  iij^:  tt  tiivtx  ju-'i  c.»-j  ttiitj  >t  ti»i  ;i  ti'«i-  t  »»f,-  »■*».. ft-  ^^  '•frt^t-j 

i$  not  winCy  but  the  blood  of  Christ — '  Taste  and  see  hoto  sweet  the  Lord  «.* 
Thiuk  you,  now,  that  you  are  required  to  discern  this  by  the  sense  of  tasto  7 


THE  DOCTRINE  OP  TRAN8UB8TANTIATION.    207 

No,  by  no  means,  but  by  thft  Ustimony  of  faith,  which  is  certain,  ami  leavea 
no  doubt.— For  when  you  take  them,  you  are  not  commanded  to  taite  bread 
and  wine,  but  under  the  appearance  ot  these,  to  take  the  body  and  blood  of 
Christ." 

St.  Chrysostom,  in  his  83(1  Homily  on  the  26th  chapter  of 
Matthew,  tome  7,  maintains  the  same  doctrine. 

"Let  us,  (saya  he)  believe  God  in  every  thing,  and  not  gainsay  him,  ahhough 
what  is  said  may  seem  contrary  to  our  reason  and  our  sight.  Let  his  word 
overpower  both.  Thus  l^t  us  do  in  mysteries,  not  looking  only  on  the  things 
that  lie  before  us,  but  holding  fast  his  words  ;  for  his  won!  cannot  deceive, 
but  our  sense  is  very  easily  deceived.  That  never  faileth— t/jw  often.  Since, 
then,  his  word  says,  '  This  is  my  body,''  let  us  assent  and  believe  and  view  it 
with  the  eyes  of  our  understandmg.  Christ  left  to  us  nothing  sensible,  but 
things  intellectual,  under  sensible  forms.  Thus  the  blessing  of  baptism  is 
?iven  by  water,  which  is  corporeal  ;  but  what  is  done  by  it— namely,  regen- 
sration  and  renovation,  is  incorporeal  or  intellectual.  If  you  were  incorpweal. 
he  would  have  bequeathed  to  you  gifts  purely  incorporeal  ;  but  as  your  soul 
is  knited  to  a  body,  tliose  gifts  are  to  be  comprehended  under  corporeal  signs. 
How  many  persons  are  heard  to  say,  I  would  willingly  behold  his  figure,  his 
ihape,  his  attire !  But  thou  seest  hmi— thou  touchesl  him— thou  recnoest  him 
into  thy  breast  ;  yet  thou  desirest  to  see  his  garments.  He  gives  himself  to 
Ihee,  not  to  be  looked  upon  only,  but  to  be  touched,  to  be  eaten,  to  be  admit- 
ted into  thy  breast.  These  are  not  the  works  of  human  power.  He  who  in 
that  supper  made  these  things  himself,  now  also  does  them  for  you.  We  hold 
Ihe  order  of  ministers,  but  the  sanctifier  and  changer  of  them  is  Himself;  who 
will  give  us  of  his  flesh  that  we  may  be  filled.— {fob,  xxxi,  31.)  This  Christ 
has  done— not  only  allowing  himself  to  be  seen,  but  to  be  touched  too,  and 
to  be  eaten,  and  teeth  to  pierce  his  flesh,  and  all  to  be  filled  with  the  love  of 
him.  Parents  often  give  their  children  to  be  nourished  by  others ;  not  so  I, 
says  Christ ;  but  I  nourish  you  with  my  flesh,  and  I  place  mvself  before  you. 
I  was  willing  to  become  your  brother ;  for  the  sake  of  you  1  took  flesh  and 
blood,  and  again  I  delivered  to  you  that  flesh  and  blood  by  which  I  became 
BO  related." — (Horn.  24,  in  Joan,  i,  5,  p.  292.) 

"  What  sayest  thou,  O  blessed  Paul  ?  Willing  to  impress  on  the  hcartr, 
and  making  mention  of  the  trernenduous  mysteries,  thou  callest  them  the  cup 
of  benedictiori." — ( Ist  Corinth,  x,  16.) 

"  That  terrible  and  tremendous  cup— that  which  is  in  the  cup  is  that  which 
flowed  from  his  side,  and  we  partake  of  it  It  is  not  of  the  altar,  but  of  Christ 
himself  we  partake  ;  let  us  therefore  approach  to  him  with  all  reverence  and 
purity;  and  when  thou  beholdest  the  body  lying  before  thee  say  to  thyself,  by 
this  body  I  am  no  longer  earth  and  ashes.  This  is  tliat  very  body  which  bled, 
which  loas  pierced  by  the  lance."— {Horn.  24,  in  Ep.  ad  Cor.  i,  10.) 

"  He  that  was  present  at  the  last  supper,  is  the  same  who  is  now  present, 
and  consecrates  our  feast :  for  it  is  not  man  who  makes  the  things  lying  on  the 
a;7ar  BECOME  the  boot  and  blood  op  Christ,  but  that  Christ  wlio  was 
crucified  for  us.  The  loords  are  pronounced  by  the  priest,  but  it  is  the  power 
and  grace  of  God  that  consecrates  them.  He  said,  '  tliis  is  my  body,'  thfst 
words  make  the  change."— Horn.  De  Prodit  Juda;.  t,  v.  page  415.) 

"  As  many  partake  of  this  body,  as  many  taste  of  this  blood,  think  it 
nothing  different  from  that  which  sits  above,  and  is  adored  bt  angels." — 
(Horn.  3,  ad  Ephs.  Tome  10.) 

"  This  taft/e  supplies  the  place  of  the  manger  ;  for  even  here  shall  lie  the 
body  of  our  Lord,  not  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes,  as  then,  but  surrounded 
on  all  sides  by  the  Holy  Spirit.     They  that  are  initiated  understand  theae 

thinur.q.       Tho    mncri    nr    uriau    man    AiA    ».^li..*»»  k 


trts 


vttt    uttvr  c 


XL    iiiOU,  ii 


r  ^1 

"    L:n;u 


M.' 


comest  with  a  pure  conscience,  wilt  be  permitted  to  take  him  to  THissLr." 
(Orat  De  S.  Philogonio  L  ii,  p.  337.) 


208 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  TRANSUBSTANTIATIOW. 


"  The  servants  of  Job,  to  show  tlicir  love  for  liirn,  said,  'who  will  givu  us 
of  Ilia  Heah  that  we  may  be  filled.'— (xxxi,  :)!.)  In  like  inaii.i.-r  Chiif^t  -avo 
us  hu flesh  that  with  it,  we  may  be  filled  and  intlaimd  with  the  love  of  iinu 
I'hisbody  lyin"-  in  the  manger,  the  wise  men  itvcrenced,  seeing  no  such  thing 
as  thou  seest  ;1l/iou  dost  no  see  him  in  the  manger,  but  on  the  altar—nor  dost 
thou  only  see  him,  but  moreover  thou  toiichest  hmi— thou  eatist  him,  and 
retumesl  home  with  him  in  thy  breast  j  cleanse  lheu,tliy  soul  Itom  all  dehlo- 
ment,  and   prepare  thyself  to  receive  these  mysteries."— (llotn.  24,  In  1, 

Cor.  i,  10.)  ,  1     T       1     r  /-.  J  • 

"  Wonderful  !  !  The  table  is  spread  with  mysteries,  the  Lamb  ot  Lxoa  la 
slain  for  thee,  and  the  spiritual  blood  Hows  from  the  sacred  table.  The 
spiiitunl  fire  comes  down  from  heaven  ;  the  blood  in  the  chalice  id  drawn  from 
tile  spotless  side,  for  thy  purification.  Thinkcstlhou  that  thou  scest  bread  ?— 
that  thou  secst  wine  ?— that  these  things  pass  ofl"  as  other  looda  do  ?— far  be 
it  from  thee  to  think  so.  But  as  wa.\,  brought  near  to  the  hrc,  loses  its  lor- 
mcr  substance,  which  no  lonj^er  remains  ;  so  do  thou  thus  conclude  that  the 
mysteries  (the  bread  and  wine,)  are  consumed  by  the  substance oi  the  body; 
wherclbre  approaching  to  them,  think  not  that  you  receive  divine  body  from  a 
man,  but  fire  from  the  hand  of  a  seraphim."— H cm.  De  Panitionc  sue  de 
Euchar.  in  Encceniu.  t.  v,  page  489.  j       i 

"  Christ  was  not  cQjitent  to  be  made  a  man— to  be  scourged— but  rcduceU 
us,  ITS  I  may  say,  into  one  mass  or  lump  with  himself,  and -this  not  only  by 
faith,  but  in  very  deed,  niaketh  us  his  own  body.  Wbat  ought  then  to  be 
purer  than  he  who  shall  partake  of  the  sacrifice.  What  rays  of  the  sun  ought 
not  those  hands  to  exceed  in  brigklness  which  handle  this  crown— that  mouth 
which  is  filled  with  spiritulil  fire— that  tongue  which  is  bloody  wtlk  tins  adm- 
rable  blood]  Call  to  mind  with  what  honour  thou  art  dignified,  ot  what  table 
thou  partakest.  For  we  are  fed  xcith  that  tinng  which,  when  the  mi^-if/s  behold, 
they  tremble.  Neither  can  they  toithovtftar  see,  by  reason  of  the  glory  which 
Cometh  from  thence;  and  we  are  reduced  into  one  mass  with  him,  Christ  a 
body  bein<T  one  and  his  fleah  one  ;  who  shall  declare  the  power  of  the  Lord— 
who  shall  make  known  hia  praises  ?  What  shepherd  ever  fed  his  siie^p  with 
his  own  members  ?  Manv  mothers,  when  they  bring  foith  their  children, 
give  them  to  other  nurses,  this  Christ  would  not  do,  but  feeds  us  with  his  own 
proper  body,  and  joi/i«,  and,  as  it  were,  glues  us  to  himself." 

The  following  passage  is  taken  from  St.  Augustin,  in  his 
Enarration  upon  the  33(1  Psalm,  commenting  upon  these  words 
of  the  Septuagint  :— "  Ferebatur  in  manibus  suis,"  he  says  as 
plain  as  words  can  make  it,  that  though  David  could  not  carry 
himself  in  his  own  hands,  according  to  the  letter,  yet  the  prophecy 
was  accomplished  literallij  in  the  person  of  Christ/'  The  holy 
Father  observes — 

"«  Ferebatur  in  manibus  suis.'— Hoc  vero  fratres  quomodo  possit  fieri  in 
homiiie?  auis  inttlligat  ?  Quis  enim  portatur  in  manibus  suis  ?  M  ambus 
aliorum  potest  porlari  homo— manibus  suis  nemo  portatur.  duomo.lo  mteUi- 
•ratur  in  ipso  Davide  stcnndum  literum  noti  tni'£)iimii,s,  m  Chi isto autem invent- 
urns.  Ferebatur  enim  Christus  in  manibus  mis  qtiando  cominendans  ipsurn 
Corpus  suum.  ait,  hoc  est  Corpus  meum—ferebal  enim  illud  Coi-m,s  m  mam- 
bus  mis.  '  He  was  bm-ne  in  his  own  hands.'  '  How  this  could  he  done  by 
man.  brethren,  who  can  comprehend  ?  For  what  man  is  carried  m  his  own 
hands  f  Man  can  be  carried  in  the  hands  of  others— m  his  own  liands  no 
man  is  carried.  How  this  can  be  understood  of  David  to  the  letter  we  do 
not  find,  but  in  the  person  of  CLuist  we  UirI  it  iiieraliy.  ForLmist  was  ,}on\i 
in  his  own  hands  when  commending  his  own  proper  body,  he  said,  •  this  is  raj 

body,'  FOR   HE   CARRIED   THAT   BODl   W  hit  OWtl  hOiuU." 


THE    DOCTRIKB     OF     TRANSUBTANTIATIOIf.         209 

Some  polemical  smatterers  have  endeavoured  to  evade  this 
manifest  argument,  by  observing  that  Christ  n.ight  carry  his  body 

u!'!t  ^"^^  '  *'  ".'''"»  ""■  P""^*^  '"'o^'^  ^^'^'■••y  »»'^  «^vn  picture  : 
but  the  difference  between  these/«e6/<5  disputants  and  St.  AugusI 
tmis,  that  St.  Augustin  held  and  believed  Christ  to  have  carried 
tnjis  /lands,  his  own  true,  real,  and  substantial  body,  which  he  ' 
affirms,  no  mere  mortal  could  effectuate  ;  whereas,  according  to 
those  gentlemen,  Christ  only  did  what  every  man  could  easily  per- 
form— carry  about  his  body  yi>Mra/ivc/j/-representatively,  &c. 
at.  Augustin  Concione  in  Psalmum,  33,  thus  writes  :—- 

"  There  was,  you  are  all  aware,  first  the  sacrifice  of  the  Jews  which  con 
flisfed  in  victims  of  catllo,  and  that  in  a  mystery    The  sarrifi/^^' JVk    k   ? 
and  blood  of  our  Lord  ^hich  tiie  failhfu?kn7w  who  r'd  'he  /ospd'b  ij 
which  a!  do  not  know,  and  which  it  were  to  be  wished  some  did  not  Cw  o 

,    Again  in  Lib.  22,  De  Civit  Dei.  cap.  iii,  he  relates  the  follow- 
ing  fact : 

"  A  certain  man  called  Hesperius  of  the  Tribunitial  order  who  still  liv^fK 
convenient  to  us  hath  a  little  farm  called  Zubedi  in  the  teSoSs  of  Sa  ^ 
which  he  haying  believed  by  the  injury  done  his  servants  and  caUU  tobeZn- 
ted>v.th  evil  spirits  besought  my  priests  in  mv  absence  that  one  of  hem 
should  go  thither  and  expel  them  by  prayers  ;  one  accordinHy  went-offerrH 
here  the  sacrifice  of  Christ's  body,  praVing'with  all  his  St  that  £yfl 
would  cease,  and  by  the  mercy  of  God  it  did  cease."  " 

The  above  passage,  you  will  perceive,  establishes  not  only  the 
doctrme  of  Transubstantiation,  but  also  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the 
Mass.— Were  a  priest  of  the  present  day  to  offer  up  the  sacri- 
hce  of  the  Mass  for  the  expulsion  of  evil  spirits,  and  the  preser- 
vation of  C5\ttle,  what  an  outcry  would  be  raised  by  the  "Saints" 
against  him,  as  if  the  practice  were  idolatrous,  superstitious,  and 
damnable.  * 

flnl^flf  ^"''^  T"  ^'"^  c"tl?  from  the  earth,  because  his  flesh  is  from  the 
flesh  of  Mary,  and  because  he  here  walked  in  this  flesh,  even  this  same  fle«h 
he  gave  to  us  to  eat  for  our  salvation:  but  no  one  eateth  this  flesh  witlout 
hming  first  adored  it:    and  not  only  do  we  not  sin  by  adorin-  it,  but  we  shI 

^LT  Tm  ""-■*>  ^"' '"  i  "'•'  ^T  '^'^'.  n"i<--keneth?  The  Lord  in  ex"  hin^ 
this  earth  to  us,  informs  us  that  it  is  the  spirit  that  quickenetli^the  flesh  profitctU 
nothmg    Wherefore,  in  abasing  yourself  and  in  casting  yoursdf  down Tfore 

;?l,^^"7K''^^r""'uT''"^"''  V'  r.  •"""^'•'  ^"^  ^""«'d«r  in  it  that  holy  one 
of  whom  the  body  whu^h  you  adored  is  the  footstool.  For  it  is  for  h"s  sake 
that  you  adore  it."— In  Psal.  93.  ^*^^ 

"  The  Mian  Jesus  Christ,  though  in  the  form  of  God,  he  receive  sacrifice 
with  his  Father,  yet  in  the  form  of  a  servant  he  chose  rather  to  bo  hin,s"if  a 

Jh^ttilr^ii!::^:  SyTDelLt  x.^  ''  '''  '"''''  ''"^-'' ^^^^^'  -^  himsel. 
Speaking  of  the  Jews  converted  by  St.  Peter,  he  says, 

thl'7''7  ""T  ^''"^r '"•'  ^^^l  "'^J^  baptized,  they  approached  the  'table  of 

Sn^hl^'.^ "q"""'  ^,?''1^'  '^7  I^"'""''  ^^"^  '''°«^  ^^'"^^  in  their  ra^e  t  «J 
Uad  •hed."— Sermo  76.     De  verb.  Evan-^el.  I,  v,  Ed.  Bened. 

18* 


£10 


THE    DOCTRINK    OF    TRANSUB8TANTIATI01V. 


I 


"  Wc  receive  with  a  faithful  heart  and  mouth,  the  Mediator  of  God  «nd 
man— the  man  Christ  Jcaus,  who  lias  given  us  his  body  to  eat,  and  his  blood 
to  drink  ;  altiicitnh  it  may  appear  more  horrible  to  eat  the  flesh  of  a  man  than 
to  destroy  it,  and  to  drink  human  blood  than  to  spill  it." 

St*  Hilary  in  his  eighth  book  on  the  Trinity — 

"  Therefore,  If  Christ  did  truly  take  to  himself  the  flesh  of  our  body,  and 
that  this  man  who  was  born  of  Ivlary  is  truly  Christ,  and  that  we  truly  take 
under  a  mystery  or  veil  the  flesh  of  his  body,  and  by  this  will  bo  one  with  him 
because  the  Father  is  in  him,  and  he  in  us  ;  how  is  the  unity  of  tot//  asfertcd, 
since  the  natural  propri«?ty  i)y  the  sacrament  is  a  sacrament  of  perfect  unity  7 
We  must  not  speuU  with  human  or  worldly  sense  of  the  things  of  God.  Let 
us  read  the  things  that  are  written  and  understand  what  we  read,  and  then  we 
shall  di.x('.har<;e  the  oflice  of  perfect  faith.  F'or  what  we  say  of  the  natural 
truth  of  Christ  in  us,  unless  we  learn  it  from  himself,  we  foolishly  and  impi- 
ously say.  For  ho  saith,  *  my  flesh  i.i  truly  food  and  my  blood  is  truly  drink  ;' 
there  is  no  room  left  to  doubt  of  the  truth  of  his  flesh  and  blood  :  for  now 
both  by  the  declaration  of  our  Lord  himself  and  by  our  faith,  it  is  truly  flesh 
and  truly  blood." 

St.  Augustin,  in  his  27th  tract  upon  St.  John,  commenting  on 
the  words,  "  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing" — -thus  argues  : 

"  What  means  'the  flesh  profiteth  nothing?  It  profits  nothing  as  the  Jews 
understood  it — as  it  is  torn  in  pieces  in  a  dead  body — {quomodo  in  cadavtrt 
dilanialur  nut  in  macello  vendilur,)  or  sold  in  the  sharriblcs.  But  it  profits  as 
quickened  by  the  spirit ;  'for  if  the  flesh  profited  nothing  the  Word  would  not 
have  been  made  flesh  that  he  might  dwell  in  us." 

I  have  quoted  St.  Augustin's  opinion  to  you  ;  I  could,  if  time 
permitted,  refer  you  to  eighty-seven  Fathers,  of  whom  all  agree 
in  giving  the  same  interpretation  to  the  passages  referred  to.  If 
ever  there  was  an  era  in  the  Christian  church  when  transubstan- 
tiation  was  not  received  and  acknowledged  as  the  doctrine  of 
the  church,  there  should  be  some  public  formulary  of  prayer — 
some  public  and  well  established  Liturgy,  out  of  which  that 
doctrine  was  excluded.  I  will  prove  (for  I  have  the  Liturgies 
here,)  that  this  doctrine  has  been  inculcated  in  all  of  them  from 
the  first  era  of  Christianity  down  to  the  period  of  the  Reforma- 
tion. I  have  here  also  the  Liturgy  even  of  Nestorius.  After 
he  broached  his  heresy  in  the  east,  he  framed  a  Liturgy  for  his 
followers,  in  which  he  professes  his  belief  in  the  doctrine  joi 
transubstantiation.  Simeon,  of  Thessalonica,  who  flourished 
before  the  council  of  Florence,  and  who  was  in  great  repute 
among  the  Greeks,  says, 

"  When  the  priest  or  deacon  has  said  with  a  loud  voice  ra  ayia  rots  ayiojj 
*  holy  things  are  for  the  holy.'  W^hen  the  bishop,  the  priests,  and  the  deacons 
have  received,  and  when  the  body  and  blood  aremixea  together  in  the  chalice 
for  the  communicants,  the  priest  or  deacon  carries  the  sacred  relics  of  the 
divine  bread  in  the  sacred  chalice.  H?  snows  them  to  all  the  people  ;  that 
is,  he  shows  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  v/hj*.h  :..  h'la  proper  body  and  his  true 
blood,  which  he  has  sacrificed  for  us,  h' .  p^r  h&seA  people,  which  he  gives 
us,  and  peiinits  u?  to  taste,  to  see,  a;  d  to  i'  1  .  where  the  holy  people  see 
him  with  the  soul,  they  adore  him  and  aak  of  Lim  whatever  is  necessary  tor 
their  salvation." 


\ 


\ 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    TRANSUBSTAKTIATIOIf.         211 

And  a  little  after  he  says, 

"  Thev  oii^lit  to  proptrnte  themflnlvpfl  on  the  ground,  and  to  adore  with  all 
their  souls  tlio  living  bread,  wiiich,  with  the  blood,  is  in  tiio  chalice." 

Mr.  Pope — Gentlemen,  Mr.  Maguire's  first  and  direct  prooi 
of  traiisubstantiation  id  taken  from  the  priesthood  of  Melchiae- 
dech,  who,  he  informs  us,  offered  up  bread  and  wine.  The 
Douay  version  translates  the  18th  verse  of  the  14th  chapter  of 
Gene.sis,  thus : 

"  But  Melchisedech,  king  of  Snlcm,  bringing  forth  bread  and  wine,  for  ha 
was  priest  of  the  Most  High  God,  blessed  liini,  and  said" — 

The  expression,  you  perceive,  is,  "  brought  forth  bread  and 
wine,"  not  ♦'  offeret'  np  bvnuu  and  wine."  Pererius,  a  Jesuit, 
says,  that 

"  There  is  nothin.':'  'tore  concerning  oblation,  but  the  bringing  forth  of  bread 
and  wine,  not  to  God,  liut  to  Abraham,  as  is  proved  by  reference  to  Augnstin 
and  Ambrose." 

There  is  a  strange  alteration  in  the  text  of  the  Douay  Bible. 
It  is  said,  for  he  was  the  priest  of  the  most  High  God.  Pererius 
informs  us  that  the  Hebrew,  literally  rendered,  should  be,  "  and 
he  was,"  and  not  "  for  he  was."  Melchisedech  blessed  Abra- 
ham ;  the  blessing  Abraham,  and  not  the  bringing  forth  of  bread 
and  wine,  was  characteristic  of  the  priesthood  of  Melchisedech. 
Cardinal  Cajetan  states,  "  That  which  is  introduced,  touching 
the  priesthood  of  Melchisedech,  is  a  separate  clause." 

Christ,  because  he  lives  for  ever,  has  an  unchangeable  priest- 
hood ,  and  therefore  needs  not  transfer  it  to  others.  The  woid 
"  priest,"  is  a  corruption  of  the  French  word  "  petre,"  which  is 
derived  from  the  Greek,  "  nqfa^viBf^og^^^  signifying  an  elder. 
I  here  challenge  Mr.  Maguire  to  produce  a  single  passage  in  the 
New  Testament,  where  the  minister  of  the  gospel  is  designated 

My  friend  has  brought  forward,  in  support  of  the  doctrine  of 
transubstantiation,  passages  from  the  gospel  of  John  and  from 
the  words  of  our  Saviour,  in  the  institution  of  the  Lord's  supper. 
I  put  it  to  every  rational  man,  whether  such  a  doctrine  as  transub- 
stanVation,  wh>'  ;h  contradicts  reason,  and  the  senses  given  to  us  by 
biod  Hmself, — tue  very  evidence  on  which  the  resurrection  is  estab- 
lished,— should  not  be  built  upon  plain,  decided,  and  unquestionable 
passages  i 

I  shall  quote  to  you  the  opinions  of  a  number  of  Roman  Catholic 
ecclesiastics  and  writers,  acknowledging  that  the  scriptures  do 
not  evidently  prove  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation.  Bellar- 
mine,  ( De  Euch.  1.  3,  c.  23,)  Suarez,  (in  3  dis.  49,  qu.  75,  sec.  2,) 
iiuu  T  u-qucz.  ^iii  X3  past.  Qisjj.  iov,  qii.  .-a,uri.  z,,  c.  io,y  uuiniif 
that  Scotus  acknowledges  that  this  doctrine  cannot  be  pjoved 
clearly  from  scripture.    Bellarmine  allows  that  this  opinion  is  not 


212 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    TRANSUBSTANTIATIOff. 


improbable  ;  and  Suarez  and  Yasquez  confess,  that  Durandus 
made  a  similar  statement. — (in  Sent.  1.  4,  dist.  11,  qu.  1,  n.  15.) 
Ocham,  another  celebrated  schoolman,  expressly  remarks,  that 

"  The  doctrine  which  holds  that  the  substance  of  bread  and  wine  remains 
after  consecration,  is  neither  repugnant  to  reason  nor  to  scripture." — (In  4, 
Sent.  a.  5,  et  Q,uodl.  4,  Q,.  3.) 

Gabriel  Bid,  another  great  divine  of  the  church  of  Rome, 
freely  declares,  that — 

"  As  to  any  thing  expressed  in  the  canon  of  the  scriptuies,  a  man  may 
beheve  that  the  substance  of  bread  and  wine  doth  remain  after  consecration." 

And  therefore  he  ascribes  transubstantiation  to  some  other 
revelation  beside  scripture,  with  which  he  supposes  the  church  of 
Rome  was  favoured. — (in  Canon  Miss.  Lect.  40.) 

Cardinal  De  Allaco,  of  Cambray,  plainly  informs  us,  that — 

"  The  doctrine  of  the  substance  of  bread  and  wine  remaining  after  conse« 
oration  is  more  easy  and  free  from  absurdity,  wore  rationa],  and  no  ways  repug- 
nant to  the  authonty  of  scripture,''^ 

Nay  more,  that  for  the  other  doctrine,  viz.  of  transubstantiation, 

"  There  is  no  evidence  in  scripture." — (In  4,  Sen.  Q,.  6.  Art  2.) 

Cardinal  Cajetan  confesses  that, 

"  The  gospel  no  where  expresses  that  the  bread  is  changed  into  the  body 
of  Christ ;  that  we  have  this  from  the  authority  of  the  church." 

Nay  he  goes  further, 

"  That  there  is  nothing  in  the  gospel  which  enforcelh  any  man  to  under- 
stand those  words  of  Christ,  *  this  is  my  body,'  in  a  proper  and  not  in  a  ineta« 
phorical  sense  ;  but  the  church  having  understood  them  in  a  proper  sense, 
they  are  to  be  so  explained." — (In  Aquin.  3,  part  Ciu.  75,  Art  1.) 

I  might  add  several  quotations,  to  show  that  it  is  the  opinion 
of  many  other  Roman  Catholic  divines,  that  the  doctrine  of  tran- 
substantiation is  not  supported  by  holy  writ.  My  friend  has 
referred  us  to  the  6th  of  John.  He  has  dwelt  on  the  superi- 
ority* of  the  bread  of  which  Christ  speaks,  to  the  manna  which 
supported  the  Israelites  in  the  wilderness  ;  and  contends,  that  if 
that  bread  be  not  literally  the  body  of  Christ,  it  possesses  no 
.superiority  above  the  tnanna.  I  ask,  what  was  it  that  came  down 
from  hea\  en  ?  "I  am  the  living  bread  that  came  down  from 
heaven."  Was  it  the  body  of  Christ  1  Was  it  the  sensible, 
corporeal  frame  1  I  put  this  again  to  you.  No — the  body  was 
received  from  the  Virgin  Mary  :  but  Christ  in  his  divine  nature 
came  from  above  :  Christ  in  his  divine  nature  is  the  bread  on 
which  his  people  feed,  spiritually,  not  carnally  :  they  are  nour- 
ished by  the  truths  in  which  they  believe.  In  this  consists  the 
superiority  of  the  bread  of  life  above  the  manna  in  the  wilderness. 

My  friend  has  asked,  would  the  Saviour  have  allowed  the 
people  of  Capernaum  to  lie  under  a  mistake  1     It  ill  becomes 


THE    DOCTRINE    Oic    TRANSUBSTANTIATIOIf. 


21S 


us  to  pry  into  the  mysterious  proceedings  of  infinite  Wisdom. 

'*  Unto  you,"  said  Christ  to  his  disciples,  "  it  is  given  to  know 

±G  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  to  them  that  are 

jvithout  in  parables."  I  am  told  not  only  that  the  Jews  murmured 

It  his  language,  but  that  some  of  his  disciples  departed  from  him. 

They  that  were  not  his  real  followers,  and  had  not  been  taught  by 

lim,  is  manifest  by  the  fact  that  they  misunderstood  the  spiritual 

meaning  of  the  Saviour's  words,  and  by  their  departure  from  him. 

If  Mr.  Maguire  adduces  this  chapter  in  support  of  transubstan- 

tiation,  it  proves  too  much.     In  the  same  chapter  it  is  said, 

"  He  that  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  everlasting  life." 

If  such  passages  prove  transubstantiation,  then  every  individual, 

whatever  his  character  may  be,  who  partakes  of  the   outward 

elements,  is  in  possession  of  everlasting  life  !     Our   Saviour 

throws  light  upon  the  import  of  his  language  when  he  says, 

"He  that  cometk  to  me,  shall  never  hunger,  and  he  that  believeth  on  me 
shall  never  thirst."— (v.  35.) 

My  friend  will  acknowledge,  that  believing  is  a  spiritual  act  ; 
and  yet  the  Saviour  distinctly  says,  "  He  that  believelh  on  me 
shall  never  thirst."  In  strict  accordance  with  this  view  is  the 
remark  of  Augustin  : 

"  Why  prepaiest  thou  thy  teeth  and  stomach  ?  BeUeve,  and  thou  hast  eaten 
»^"— Tract  25. 


)  i 


Does  not  the  Redeemer 


Such  is  the  language  of  Augustin. 
himself  say, 

"  The  spirit  quickcneth,  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing  ;  the  words  that  I  have 
spoken  to  you,  are  spirit  and  life,"— John,  vi,  46. 

And  when  he  asked  those  disciples  who  remained  with  him, 
"  Will  ye  also  go  away  ?" — they  replied, 

"To  whom  shall  we  go?  Thou  hast  the  loorrfs  of  eternal  life,  and  we  have 
believed  and  known,  that  tiiou  art  Christ  the  son  of  God." 

Christ  also,  in  reference  to  Judas  and  the  disciples  who 
departed  from  him,  says, 

"  There  are  some  of  you  that  believe  not  For  Jesus  knew  from  the  beHn- 
mng  who  they  were  that  did  not  believe,  and  who  he  was  that  would  bc&av 
him." — 65,  V.  •' 

Origen  thus  speaks : 

"  There  is  also  in  the  New  Testament  -  letter,  which  kills  him  wlio  doth 
not  spmtmlly  understand  those  things  which  are  said  :  for  if  we  take  accord- 
ing to  the  letter  that  which  is  said,  except  ye  can  eat  my  flesh,  and  drink  mv 
blood,  this  letter  kills."— (Homil,  Levit.  chap.  10.) 

— c----'"j  ■•'  "•■'   «.  ii-ttiicv  ac  ij-»7<,«mn  -oiii  isiiiiiiu,  says  ; 

"  If  the  speech  be  a  precept  forbidding  some  heinous  wickedness  or  crime, 
or  cointnauding  us  to  do  good,  it  is  not  figurative  ;  but  if  it  seem  to  command 
any  heinous  wickedness  or  crime,  or  to  forbid  that  which  in  profitablo  or 


214 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  TRANSUBSTANTIATtOR. 


beneficial  to  others,  it  is  figurative.  For  example,  '  except  ye  eat  the  flesh  uf 
the  Son  of  jMan  and  drink  his  blood,  ye  have  no  life  in  you.'  This  seems  to 
command  a  heinous  wickedness  and  crime  ;  tltereforeitisafigttre;  command- 
ing us  to  communicate  of  the  passion  of  our  Lord,  and  with  df  light  and 
advantage  to  lay  up  in  our  memory  (mark  it  is  not  tJie  body  of  Christ  in  our 
bodies,  but  to  lay  up  in  our  memories)  that  his  flesh  was  crucified  and  woimded 
for  us.  ♦—  Lib.  lii,  torn,  iii,  p.  53,  Edit.  Basil,  1596.) 

Mr.  Maguire  has  referred  to  the  Saviour's  words  at  the  insti- 
tution of  tlie  Lord's  Supper,  •'  this  is  my  body,"  I  ask,  may  we 
not  interpret  the  expression  figuratively  ?  Did  the  Redeemer 
always  speak  literally  ?  Does  he  not  say,  *'  I  a;  i  the  door," 
(John,  X,  9.)  "  I  am  the  vine?"  (John,  xv,  i.)  If  the  Redeemer 
spoke  even  once  figuratively,  he  may  have  spoken  figuratively 
on  this  occasion.  There  is  a  figure  in  the  following  passage, 
"This  is  my  blood  of  the  New  Testament."  Here  the  chalice 
is  the  blood  of  Christ  :  the  material  substance  of  the  cup  is 
according  to  the  letter  the  very  blood  of  Christ.  The  Saviour 
speaks,  we  perceive  figuratively  in  the  very  context.  Now,  if 
one  part  of  the  Saviour's  words  at  the  institution  of  the  Eucha- 
rist is  to  be  taken  literally,  why  not  the  rest  ?  But  are  we  to 
suppose  that  the  cop  is  transubstantiated  into  the  blood  of  Christ  ? 
I  would  also  ask  Mr.  Maguire,  is  there  not  another  specimen  of 
figurative  language  in  the  expression,  "  this  is  my  blood  which 
is  shed  1"  Was  the  Saviour's  blood  shed  when  he  said,  "  it  is 
shed  ]"  Was  his  body  broken,  when  he  said,  "  it  is  broken  ?" 
My  friend  has  threatened  us  with  a  great  number  of  quotations 
from  the  Fathers ;  permit  me  to  call  your  attention  to  a  few. 
Tertullian  says — 

"  God,  in  your  gospel,  has  so  revealed  the  matter,  calling  the  bread  his  own 
body,  that  you  may  hence  understand  how  he  gave  bread  to  be  the  figure 
of  his  own  body  ;  which  body,  conversely,  the  prophet  has  figurativeli 
called  bread,  the  Lord  himself  being  afterwards  about  to  interpret  this  sacra- 
;.nent."— Adv.  Marcion.  Lib.  iii,  §  12,  13,  p.  209 

Arguing  against  the  sceptics,  who  denied  the  certainty  of  sense, 

he  says — 

"  We  must  not  call  our  senses  in  question,  lest  we  should  doubt  respecting 
their  fidelity  even  in  the  case  of  Christ  himself.  Because,  if  we  question  the 
fidelity  of  our  senses,  we  might  peradventure  be  led  to  say,  that  Christ  delu- 
sively beheld  Satan  precipitated  from  heaven,  or  delusively  heard  the  voice  of 
his  Father,  testifyinojof  him,or  was  deceived  when  he  touched  Peter's  mother- 
in-law,  or  snu  It  a  different  odour  of  the  ointment  which  he  received  for  his 
sepulture,  or  tasted  a  different  flavour  of  the  wine  which  he  consecrated  in 
memory  of  his  blood." — De  Anim.  in  cap,  de  quinque  sens,  open  p.  653. 

Cyril  of  Jerusalem  says, 

"  With  all  nssijrnrine,  let  lis  partake  as  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ : 
lor  under  the  type  of  bread,  His  body  is  given  to  thee,  and  under  the  type  of 
wine  his  blood  is  given  to  thee  ;  that  so  thou  mayst  partake  of  the  body  and 
blood  of  Christ,  being  one  body  and  one  blood  with  him."— Catech.  Mystag. 
iv,  p.  217. 


he  flesh  uf 
9  cecms  to 
:uminand- 
r  light  niid 
irist  in  our 
1  wounded 


the  insti- 
,  may  we 
edeemer 
3  door," 
edeemer 
uratively 
passage, 
e  chalice 
e  cup  is 
Saviour 
Now,  if 
i  Eucha- 
ire  we  to 
f  Christ  ? 
icimen  of 
od  which 
id,  "  it  is 
>roken  ?" 
uotations 
o  a  few. 


ad  his  own 

IE    FIGUKE 
JRATIVELl 

this  sacra- 
of sense, 


respecting 
ucstion  the 
Ihrist  delu- 
the  voice  of 
sr's  mother- 
ived  for  his 
sccrated  in 
}.  653. 


of  Christ : 
the  type  of 
e  body  and 
h.  Mystag. 


THE    DOCTRINE    OP    TRANSUB8TANTIATI0N.         2U 

Ghrysostom  says, 

!!  2"*^^^^!?®  ^,^"^y  flesh  scripture  is  wont  alike  to  set  forth  the mys^tcrieg 
•nd  the  whole  church  :  for  it  says,  that  they  are  each  the  body  ofChrist."— 
Comment  m  LpisL  ad.  Galat  c.  v,  open  vol.  ix,  p.  1022.  Commel.  1603. 

Again, 

"  Wherefore  let  there  approach  no  Judas  partaking  of  the  poison  of  iniquity : 
for  the  Eucharist  is  spiritual  food."— De  Prodit  Jud.  Senn.  30,  oper.  vol  ▼ 
p.  464.  '  ' 

Augustin  says — 

"  The  Lord,  when  he  £rave  the  sign  of  his  body,  did  not  doubt  to  say,  thi. 
IS  my  body."— Contr.  Adiman.  c.  12,  oper.  vol.  vi,  p.  69,  Colon.  1616. 

Again — 

"  In  the  history  of  the  New  Testament,  so  great  and  so  marvelous  was  the 
patience  of  our  Lord,  that  bearing  with  Judas,  though  not  ignorant  of  his 
purpose,  he  admitted  him  to  the  banquet,  in  which  he  commended  and  deliv- 
ered to  his  disciples  the  figure  of  his  own  body  and  blood."— Enarr.  in  Ps. 
Ill,  oper.  vol.  viii,  p.  7. 

Again, 

"  Christ  instructed  his  disciples,  and  said  unto  them—'  it  is  the  spirit  that 
quickeneth,  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing  :  the  words  which  I  speak  unto  you 
are  spirit  and  life:'  as  if  he  had  said,  understand  spiritually  what  I  have 
spoken  :  you  are  not  about  to  eat  this  identical  body  which  you  see, and  you 
are  not  about  to  drink  this  identical  blood,  which  they  who  crucify  me,  will 
pour  out :  on  the  contrary,  I  have  commended  a  certain  sacrament  unto  you, 
which  will  vivify  you  ip  spiritually  understood,  though  it  must  be  cele- 
brated  visibly,  yet  it  must  be  understood  invisibly."— Enarr.  in  Ps.  xcviii 
oper.  vol.  viii,  p.  397.  ' 

Pope  Gelasius  is  of  the  same  opinion.—De  Duab.  Nat.  Christ. 
Cont.  Nestor,  et  Eutych.  in  Biblioth.  Patr.  vol.  4,  p.  422. 

I  now  meet  my  friend's  challenge  as  to  ancient  liturgies.  In 
different  liturgies,  even  after  the  words  of  consecration,  and  after 
some  prayers,  the  priest  beseeches  God  to  make  this  bread  the  holy 
body  of  Christ,  and  this  cup  the  precious  blood  of  Christ.  These 
are  the  words  used  in  the  formulary  called  the  liturgy  of  James, 
and  the  like  prayer  after  the  words  of  consecration  occurs  in  the 
liturgies  of  Mark,  John,  Chrysostom  and  Basil.  Is  it  not  an 
article  of  faith  in  the  curch  of  Rome,  that  when  the  words  of 
consecration  are  once  pronounced,  no  bread  or  wine  remains, 
but  the  real  body  and  blood  of  Christ ;  and  is  not  the  Host 
immediately  elevated  and  adored  1  If  the  authors  of  these 
hturgies  held  the  same  doctrine,  is  it  not  absurd,  that  they  should 
offer  a  prayer  to  God,  to  do  that  which  they  believed  had  been 
already  done  ;  to  make  the  bread  and  wine  the  body  and  blood 
of  Christ,  a  thing  which  they  believed  had  been  already  done,  if 
they  were  of  the  same  opinion  with  the  church  of  Rome? 

The  authors  of  the  Mass  did  not  themselves  believe  in  tran 
substantiation  ;  they  often  call  the  Eucharist  an  image,  a  pledge, 
(ex  Miss.  Sar,  et  Ro  )     Why  should  they  call  it  an  image    a 


216 


THR  DOCTRINE  OF  TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 


Sledge,  if  they  believed  it  to  be  the  thing  itself?     The  Sarum 
lissal  (Fer  Qutit.  Temp.)  confesses  that, 

"  Gol  looidd  have  his  sacramtnts  cojisixt  of  the  fruits  of  the  earth  ;"  they 
plainly  ucknowled^e  of  the  sacrament,  "  Cibavit  cos  ex  adipe  frumenti,"  he 
fed  thcin  with  tiie  flower  of  wlicat ;  wiiercCoie  by  their  own  acknowledgment, 
the  sacrament  which  is  eaten,  is  the  fruit  of  the  earth,  and  the  flower  of  wheat 
(Ex  horis  de  5,  8acr.  impr.  per  Sac.  Kcruer,  Paris,  Ann.  1570,  et  in  Ro.  Misa. 
in  solen.  Sacratis.  Corpor.  Chri.  in  princip.) 

In  the  Post-communion,  after  every  bishop-confessor,  the 
Roman  Missal,  and  the  Missal  of  Sarum,  in  the  Post-commu- 
nion prayer  (Feria  Sixta)  say, 

"  We  beseech  thee,  0  Lord,  that  giving  thanks  unto  thee  for  these  gifts  which 
we  have  received,  tve  may  receive  belter  gifts." 

But  if  Christ  be  substantially  present,  what  better  gift  could 
they  desire  than  the  Saviour  himself !  In  another  place  they 
pray. 

"  That  lohich  we  have  received  with  our  mouths,  0  Lord,  grant  thatwithpure 
minds  we  may  also  take,  that  of  a  temporal  gift  it  wiaj/  be  made  an  eternal  remedy." 
(In  can.  Miss,  et  Ro.  Br.  Fer.  5,  post  po.  passionis.) 

Christ's  body  is  not  a  temporal,  but  an  everlasting  gift  and 
remedy.     Again, 

"  That  which  we  have  received  in  the  image  of  the  sacrament,  grant  we  may 
receive  by  manifest  participation." 

After  the  same  manner  they  pray  again, 

"  Let  thy  holy  sacraments  perfect,  0  Lord,  that  which  they  contain,  that  which 
toe  do  now  in  show,  we  may  receive  in  the  certain  truth  of  things  themselves.'" 
(In  Fest.  S.  Swythen.  in  Post-compignua  vitae  seternoe  in  miss.  Sar. 

They  confess  that  they  do  it  in  show.  I  ask,  if  the  body  and 
blood  of  Christ  were  actually  present,  would  they  have  used  this 
expression  1 

Again,  in  the  Post-communion  of  the  Mass  of  the  Virgin 
Mary,  they  call  the  sacraments  the  helps  of  our  salvation,  salutis 
nostrae  subsidia  ;  but  if  they  were  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ, 
it  would  be  blasphemy  to  call  him  the  help  of  salvation,  who  is 
salvation  itself. — (Miss.  Sar.  in  Post.  Com.  in  Miss.  Bea.  Virg. 
Mar.)  In  the  secret  of  the  office  of  the  dead,  they  say,  receive 
O  Lord,  for  the  soul  of  thij  servant,  the  Host  which  thou  didst 
offer  to  God  the  Father  for  us  bountifully. — (Miss.  Sar.  in  offic. 
mort.)  If  the  Host  be  the  very  body  of  Christ,  then  to  offer 
Christ  to  himself  would  be  most  absurd.  In  the  canon  they 
pray,  that  God  would  accept  the  things  offered,  as  he  accepted  the 
sacrifice  of  his  holy  child  JibeU  the  sacrijice  of  Abraham,  and  that 


XC/ilC/l  m/TJ.ctu{U3cuci:rc  OJjcicii.       X  asn,   ^>uusu  ii  uwi  uc  uiusuiiciwy  lO 

compare  the  sacrifices  of  Abel,  Abraham  and  Milchisedech, 
however  holy,  with  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ? 


'he  Sarum 


atth  :"  they 
imenti,"  he 
wledgment, 
er  of  wheat 
n  Ro.  Miss. 


issor,  the 
t-commu- 

gifla  which 

gift  could 
)lace  they 


at  with  pure 
lal  remedy^'* 


;  gift  and 
■ant  we  may 


I,  that  which 
hemselves." 
r. 

body  and 
used  this 

le  Virgin 
m,  sahitis 
of  Christ, 
n,  who  is 
lea.  Virg. 
ly,  receive 
thou  didst 
.  in  offic. 
1  to  offer 
inon  they 
cepled  the 
,  and  that 
iphciijy  io 
hisedech, 


THE  DOCTRINE  OP  TRAN8UB8TANTIATION.    21? 

Mr.  MAGumB.-If  ray  friend.  Mr.  Pope,  would  be  in  any 
manner  consistent  with  himself,  this  controversy  would  have  a 
speedy  termmat.on.  It  is  no  difficult  matter  for  puny  man 
hrn.ted  as  he  is  m  understanding,  to  raise  objections  against  holy 
my.tenes.  Ihe  very  same  objections  which  Mr.  Pope  has 
urged  agamst  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation,  the  Socinian 
Em  ^?  T'"""^  '^^  Trinity-as  being  a  mystery  incompre- 
trnnh  cT  1'^'^"  ■  ^^''  '^'  ^«'^«  spoken  here  on  the 
tZTnet^  T  -^w  discussion  by  Mr.  Pope,  in  regard  to  the  doc 
tnne  of  the  Trmity,  as  given  in  the  Morning  Register  : 

thJ\-  'T,?"l\u  ^^^  '■"''''°"  '"*'  ''"  legitimate  province.     If  God  has  revealed 

It  .s  above  reason,  but  not  opposed  to  reason,  and  we  are  bSund  "o  ?ecdve  S  » 

I  shall  answer  Mr.  Pope's  objections  by  his  own  arguments. 

Confining  myself  to  the  language  of  Mr.  Pope,  I  affirm.That  if 

U  be  revealed  m  scripture,  that  the  sacred  body  and  blood  of 

the  rod''nrh^""'    K^'°  "l'\^  '"S^^^''  '' ''  "«t  ^^'  »«  to  bring 
the  Grod  of  heaven  before  the  bar  of  natural  reason.     If  we  are 

convinced  that  the  statement  has  been  made,  we  must  be  con 
vmced  of  the  fact      It  may  be  above  reason,  but  it  is  not  con 
trary  to  reason.     In  common  consistency,  therefore,  he  is  bound 
to  receive  the  doctrine.  ""u"u 

Mr.  Pope  has  recurred  to  Melchisedech ;  I  did  not  bring 
forward  Mo  chisedech  as  a  direct  proof,  though  perhaps  i  "f 
tantamount  to  a  direct  one.  The  onus  lies  on  Mr.  Pope  to 
show  where  or  when  Melchisedech  did  offer  a  sacrifice,  if  not 
in  the  instance  to  which  reference  has  been  made.  Melchise- 
dech is  called  a  priest  of  the  Most  High.  If  i„  this  instance 
J^h.^o^aV  .  ^"'t  ''  ^'  Melchisedech  merely  gave  bread  and 
nl  M^'lT'  I  "u"  "P""  ^'"^  ^°  «h«^  ^h^rl,  in  any  other 
nstance   Melchisedech  is  recorded  to  have  offered  sacrifice  to 

If  th';t^stti;ht  '"^"'''  ^^'^  '^  Melchisedech  called  a  priest 
I  prefer  to  Mr.  Pope's  version  of  the  scriptures  that  of  St. 
Jerome,  who  spent  fourteen  years  in  Palestine,  and  the  com- 
mentaries of  Dr.  Wall,  which  are  in  my  possessi;n.  Mr.  Pope 
quotes  Catholic  authorities  to  show  that  there  is  not  evidelt 

fiTon      Th         '""'  '""PJ"''"'  ^^•'  ^^^  ^^^t""«  «f  transubstan- 
tiation.    There  is  not  mathematical  evidence,  such  as  2  and  2 

make  4;  tor  what  is  fivirl^n*  /.r.^..,^*  k„ ^^  .    .       t.   .    ., 

„     -  '°  '■  ■  rw.ii-^i  uc  -cuiiiuoicu.     i5ut  the 

proof  approaches  very  nearly  to  an  evident  one,  when  our  Saviour 
emphatically  says,  "this  is  my  body,"  "this  is  my  blood 
mat  surely  is  a  very  close  approximation  to  evidence. 

19 


818    THE  DOCTRINE  OP  TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

Mr.  Pope  has  not  been  able  to  produce  any  Catholic  divines 
who  dontradicted  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation.  I  am  ready 
to  admit,  that  there  is  no  self-evident  proof  for  the  doctrme  of 
transubstantiation;  but  Christ  has  pronounced  the  words  "  this 
is  my  body— this  is  my  blood,"  and  I  therefore  believe. 

Let  Mr.  Pope  produce  any  passage  equally  clear  upon  the 
doctrines  of  the  Trinity— the  Incarnation,  or  any  other  doctrme 
of  Christianity.  Mr.  Pope  says,  that  Christ  came  down,  not  in 
his  body,  from  heaven.  I  assert  that  he  did  come,  as  to  hia 
humanity,  from  heaven,  when  Mary  was  overshadowed  by  the 
Holy  Ghost;  the  Saviour's  body  came  direct  from  the  power 
and  finger  of  God,  and  was  formed  of  the  substance  of  a  pure 

immaculate  virgin.  .     „    ,  •     .u 

My  Reverend  opponent  says,  that  the  Redeemer  was  in  the 
habit  of  speaking  in  parables.  Whenever  Christ  made  a  reve- 
lation  of  an  article  of  faith,  did  he  speak  m  parables?  When- 
ever such  a  revelation  is  made,  I  do  not  believe  our  Saviour 
propounds  it  parabolically.  When  some  of  the  disciples  of 
Jesus  became  shocked  at  his  expressions  at  Capernaum,  and 
when  he  saw  the  Jews  alarmed  and  debating  with  themselves, 
and  he  himself  becoming  uneasy  about  this  fact,  as  is  evidenced 
by  his  subsequent  question  to  the  Apostles, "  Will  you  also  leave 
me  V  It  would  be  most  strange  that,  if  he  had  been  only  speak- 
ing metaphorically,  he  should  have,  as  it  were,  confirmed  them 
in  their  error,  by  adding  this  strong  expression— 

"Amen,  I  say  unto  you,  unless  you  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man,  and 
drink  his  blood,  you  shall  not  have  Ute  in  you." 

It  is  a  melancholy  instance  of  human  infirmity  to  find  such 
objections  raised  against  that  which  has  been  so  obviously  and 
evidently  revealed.  It  is  the  doctrine  of  the  councd  of  Irent, 
that  he  who  receives  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  unworthily, 
eats  and  drinks  perdition  to  himself,  not  discermng  the  body 

of  the  Lord.  ,       ,       ,  ^     c      •  •.     i 

Therefore,  when  the  doctors  of  the  church  speak  ot  spiritual 
things,  they  mean  that  the  sacrament  may  be  really  received  by 
a  man  without  its  accompanying  spiritual  graces.  ]So  man  will 
deny,  that  baptism  is  a  representation  of  Christ's  death  and  re- 
surrection, by  regenerating  man  from  a  spiritual  death  to  a  spir- 
itual life— and  yet  it  is  acknowledged  to  be  a  real  sacrament, 
and  to  confer  real  grace.  Mr.  Pope  may  deny  the  fact  if  he 
choose,  but  I  have  all  the  Protestants  of  the  church  of  England 
with  me  on  the  subject.     Christ's  body  and  blood  are  a  reality, 

and  a  neure  ui  oiiv  uuu  mc  au-m^-  us..-      j   —  —  o' 

their  natural  and  gross  manner,  but  as  the  fulfilment  of  the  type 
in  the  old  law.  The  Pascal  Lamb  was  the  figure  of  Christ* 
body  and  blood,  and  if  the  body  and  blood  be  not  present,  there 


THE    DOCTRINE    OP    TRANSUBSTANTf ATION.  819 

is  no  fulfilment  of  the  type  in  the  new  law.  If  the  sacrameni 
be  mere  bread  and  wine,  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  how  a  man 
who  leQeives  unworthily  can  eat  and  drink  damnation  to  himself. 
Our  Saviotir  says  "  I  am  the  door ;  I  am  the  vine ;  I  am  the 
good  shepherd."  Mr.  Pope  concludes,  that  because  he  speaks 
figuratively  in  one  instance,  he  does  so  in  all.  When  our  Re- 
deeiner  said,  he  was  the  door  and  the  vine,  was  there  a  man  ot 
common  sense  listening  to  him,  who  did  not  know  that  he  spoke 
metaphorically  ?  The  expressions  were  not  violent  or  unnat- 
ural, they  were  in  accordance  with  the  general  tenor  of  the 
language  of  the  day.  But  if  he  had  taken  a  vine  in  his  hand, 
and  said,  "  I  am  this  vine"— or,  if  he  took  up  a  door  and  said, 
"I  am  this  door"— or,  if  taking  hold  of  a  shepherd  he  said,  "I 
am  this  shepherd  ;  then  would  the  metaphor  appear  extravagant 
and  absurd.  But  when  he  took  the  bread,  and  blessing  it  said, 
"THIS  IS  MY  body"— there  evidently  was  no  metaphor  intended. 
Had  he  said,  "  this  bread  is  my  body,"  such  an  expression 
would  b©  truly  metaphorical,  but  « this  is  my  body,"  clearly 
supposes  a  change  of  substance. 

When,  at  the  marriage  of  Cana  of  Gallilee,our  Saviour  changed 
water  into  wine  there  was  a  real  transubstantiation.     If  he  had 
then  said,  "  this  water  is  wine,"  it  would  be  a  metaphor ;  but  if 
he  said,  "  this  is  wine,"  there  was  no  metaphor,  as  a  real  tran- 
substantiation had  taken  place,  and  there  was  no  water  there. 
When  Moses  changed  his  rod  into  a  serpent,  if  he  said,  "this  is 
a  serpent,"  that  would  not  be  a  metaphor ;   but  had  he  said, 
"this  rod  IS  a  serpent,"  there  he  would  speak  metaphorically. 
When  Christ  therefore  said,  "  this  is  my  body,"  it  is  plain  and 
evident  that  he  did  not  speak  metaphorically.     If  a  person  asked 
for  some  good  wine,  and  that  in  reply  another  said  to  him,  "take 
t/ns  bottle,"  the  metaphor  is  natural  and  obvious ;  but  if  he  said, 
handing  him  a  bottle  of  milk,  "this  bottle  is  wine,"  the  metaphor 
would  then  indeed  be  foolish,  extravagant  and  unintelligible. 
Mr.  Pope  has  quoted  the  words,  "  this  is  my  blood  which  is 
shed  lor  many  for  the  remission  of  sins."     This  is  one  of  the 
strongest  proofs  in  support  of  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation. 
If  the  expression  was,  "  shall  be  shed,"  it  might  seem  to  militate 
against  that  doctrine.    But  the  expression  "  is  shed,"  proves  that 
Christ  offered  himself  to  his  Father  before  he  had  actually  siif- 
fere^d,  and  applied  the  graces  annexed  to  the  sacrament  before 
he  had  actually  suffered  on  the  cross.     The  graces  which  were 
to  flow  from  that  offering  he  here  applied  in  the  sacrament,  for 
if  not,  there  was  no  sacrament  instituted^     Now^  if  he  annlied 
the  graces  before  his  death  in  the  sacrament,  I  am  at  a  loss  to 
know  why  the  action,  having  taken  place  previously  to  his  death, 
should  form  any  bar  to  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation. 


220 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 


i  ■ 


St.  Cyril  of  Jerusalem  has  been  quoted  by  my  friend.     You 

shall  hear  him  again,  and  you  can  then  decide  whether  it  be  not 

extremely  foolish  to  introduce  that  holy  Father  as  opposed  to 

transubstantiation.     After  quoting  the  words  of  St.  Paul,  "1 

have  received  of  the  Lord  that  which  I  also  have  delivered  unto 

you,"  he  proceeds  to  say  : 

"This  doctrine  of  the  blessed  Paul  may  bo  sufficient,  to  satisfy  you  con- 
cerning the  divine  mysteries  which  you  l)ave  received,  that  you  have  been 
made  partakers  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  The  bread  and  wine,  wiiich 
before  the  invocation  of  the  adorable  Trinity  were  nothing  but  bread  and 
yrinc,  became  after  this  invocation  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ.  The  Euchar- 
istic  bread,  after  the  invocation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  no  longer  common  bread, 
but  the  body  of  Christ. — Wherefore,  I  conjure,  my  brethren,  not  to  consider 
them  any  more  as  common  bread  and  wine,  since  they  are  the  body  and 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  according  to  his  own  words ;  and  although  your  senses 
might  suggest  that  to  you,  let  faith  confirm  you.  Judge  not  of  the  thing  by 
your  taste,  but  by  faith  assure  yourself,  without  the  least  doubt,  that  you  are 
honoured  with  the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  That  which  appears 
bread  is  not  bread,  though  the  taste  judge  otberxrise — the  wine  which  you  see> 
and  which  tastes  like  icine,  "i  not  wine,  but  the  blood  of  Christ." 

Here  St.  Cyril  impresses  on  us  to  believe  the  real  presence 
of  Christ  in  the  sacrament,  though  the  doctrine  may  appear  con- 
trary to  some  of  our  senses.  Every  thing  which  St.  Cyril  here 
says,  makes  for  the  doctrine  which  I  now  advocate  ;  and  Mr- 
Pope  will  perform  a  greater  miracle  than  tiansubstantiacion 
itself,  if  he  shall  demonstrate  that  St.  Cyril  was  opposed  to  that 
doctrine.  I  wonder  why  all  those  Fathers  should  lake  such  ex- 
traordinary pains  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  their  hearers  the 
absolute  necessity  of  believing  contrary  to  their  seeing,  touching, 
and  tasting,  if  there  were  nothing  in  that  sacrament  but  the  ele- 
ment of  bread  and  wine. 

My  friend  has  quoted  St.  Augustin  likewise.  From  what 
I  have  quoted  already,  touching  the  sacraments,  from  this  great 
Father  of  the  church,  you  can  easily  perceive  that  he  speaks  most 
plainly  of  transubstantiation.  On  the  33d  Psalm  we  find,  that 
he  even  calls  this  mystery  the  sacrifice  of  the  body  and  blood  of 
our  Lord.     I  shall  give  you  his  original  words : 

"Erat  autem,  ut  nostis  sacrificium  Judijeorum  in  victimus  peccorum  secun- 
dum ordinum  Aaron,  et  hoc  in  mysterio;  nondum  erat  sacrificium  Corporis 
ct  sanguinis  domini  quod  norunt  fideles  et  qui  evangelium  legerunt,  quod 
sacrificium  nunc  diffusum  est  in  toto  orh6  terrarum." 

"There  was  ye  are  aware,  first,  the  sacrifice  of  the  Jews,  Avhich  consisted 
in  victims  of  cattle,  according  to  the  order  of  Aaron  ;  and  this  in  a  mystery. 
The  sacnjice  of  the  body  and  blood  of  our  Lord  was  not  yet  instituted,  which 
the  faithful  know,  and  those  who  read  the  gospel,  which  sacrifice  is  now  es- 
tablished throughout  the  whole  world." 

If  there  be  nothing  in  the  sacrament  of  the  Eucharist  but  mere 

cirjuicniS  ui  U;i;au  mm  •.vine,  ii  uuUiu  nut,  iiui  i;iiji;iSi  ii  lu  uc  uuiicu 

a  sacrifice.     But  St.  Augustin  styles  it  the  sacrifice  of  the  body 
and  blood  of  our  Lord.     It  is  manifest  then  that  he  held  a  total 


N. 

nd.     You 

r  it  be  not 

fiposed  to 

Paul,  "1 

'ered  unto 

fy  you  con- 
have  been 
wine,  which 
:  bread  and 
rhcEuchai- 
imon  bread, 
to  consider 
le  body  and 
1  your  senses 
le  thing  by 
hat  you  are 
ich  appears 
ich  you  see> 

presence 
•pear  con- 
Cyril  here 

and  Mr, 
itantiacion 
€u  to  that 
3  such  ex- 
jarers  the 
touching, 
It  the  ele- 

rom  what 
this  great 
eaks  most 
find,  that 
1  blood  of 


rum  secun- 
n  Corporis 
crunt,  quod 

h  consisted 
a  mystery, 
jted,  which 
is  now  es- 

but  mere 

U 1I_J 

UC  VJUIICU 

"the  body 
ild  a  total 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    TRANSUB8TANTIATI0N.  £21 

change  of  the  elements  into  the   body  and   blood  of  Christ 
When  therefore  he  speaks  of  tl.e  sacrament  a.  somet!  i„g  si* 

o    ChM.t  m  a  carnal  or  gross  sense,  and  between  the  bc.dv  and 
blood  of   Christ  ,n  a  true,  substantial,  but  sacramental  se,  se 
Ihe  hrs   was  the  error  of  those  at  Capernaum,  us  St.  Augu    m 
himse  t  describes  .t.     *♦  Quomodo  in  cadevere  dilaniatur"  uu    " 

Tthe  s'ame  F  "th        ^^^^^^•^"'  '^  ''''  ^^^  ^^  orthodox  ses 
Th  «   iT  .    ^  ^^'  ^^f^'r'  '*•     "  Q"0"iodo  spiritu  vegetatur." 
rh.s,  I  think,  tnost  satisfactorily  reconciles  St.  Au^ustin's    m- 

t^p   'LTTs^-   X    ^^--^"-^  ^hat  you  will  reflect  u;o'„ 
n ir  ^^^  &t.  Augustin,  where  he  describes  one  of  his 

^^^"^^2 '''  ^^^"'^^  ^^^'^  '"^^^ '-  ^'^  — -^ 

I  could  quote  several  other  passages  from  St.  Au-ustin  if 
his  authority  were  called  in  question,  on  that  subject""  I  Sve 
sixty  or  seventy  Fathers,  (Ignalus,  Justin   Mar{yr,   Iren^us 
Tertulhan,  Ongen,   Hyppolitus,  and    Cyprian,  &c,  &c! To  ) 
whom  I  could  also  quote  if  time  permitted.     The  extTacts  ar'i 

on  ?Jl.  rt-  /"'V'^'^i?  ^^''^Ses  from  them,  where  they  trea 
on  this  subject  professedly.  St.  Augustin,  you  will  remember 
in  his  Commentary  on  the  words  of  W  33d  Psalm,  Satu; 

fnn.' V,  1  '^  '"P''^'"-  '^^^^'  -^"^^  passages,  it  is  idle  and 
foolish  in  the  extreme  to  quote  St.  Augusti„%s  opposed  to  t  e 
doctrine  of  transubstantiation.  pf  »t^u  lo  me 

Dy  Mr.  Pope.  The  book  of  Gelasius  is  doubted  by  many 
critics,  and  It  is  uncertain  whether  it  was  written  by  Pope  Gela 
sius,  or  by  Gelasius  Cyzinicus.  But  even  suppas^  ifto  have 
been  written  by  Pope  Gelasius,  I  am  here  ready  to  show  11^^ 
Foyes  nothing  against  the  doctrine  of  transLtaiSion,  as 
Hawarden  has  plainly  demonstrated.  Mr.  Pope  has  quS  the 
ancient  Liturgies  to  show  that  prayers  were  offered  to  God  to 
change  the  elements  after  the  words  of  consecration  had  been 
pronounced.  Dr.  Brett,  a  Protestant,  and  who  wa  by  no  means 
favourably  inclined  to  Popery,  translated  all  the  ancl"t  Lh  ! 
gies  fVom  the  original  Greek.     I  am  ready  to  prove   ro  nt  ^ry 

t'on  werP  7'  ^^^V^'  'Tt'  °^  '^'  ^^'^  ^"^  transub.tantlZ 
chm-  h  h  r^'i  ^'■•'"'  '^  ^P"^^^"«»  «"^  believed  throughout  the 
church,  both  eastern  and  western.     In  the  Litur..y  of  S?  James 
which  has  been  quoted  by  Mr.  Pope,  after  the  words  f  ' 

sins." '""  ^SsTn  v^  bffof  thf ^^"  '"x^  ^"^"  ^''  ^'^^  ^'^  ^^e  remission  of 
for  you  JXV^Cfo^'tli'rt^^^^  ^'^'  '«  «^^^  -^  given 

19* 


2M         THE    UOCTRINE   OP    TRANSDBSTANTIATIOIf. 

And,  after  some  prayers,  he  thus  addresses  himself  to  Al- 
mighty God, 

•«Sendrlo\vn,0  Lord,  this  thy  most  holy  spirit  upon  iia,  and  upon  these 
holy  mils  hero  set  heforo  thoc;  that  by  \m  hwly,  good,  nn.i  tloriouJ  presence 
no  niuy  sanctify  and  make  ihis  bread  tiie  body  of  thy  Christ,  and  this  cud  the 
precious  blood  of  thy  Christ"  ^         ^  .  , 

It  was  here  objected  that  the  Greeks  did  not  believe  in  tran- 

substantiution,  because  after  the  words  of  consecration   they 

prayed  :  "  Make  this  bread  the  holy  body  of  thy  Christ,  and  this 

cup  the  precious  blood  of  thy  Christ."     But  this  objection  was 

fully  answered  by  the  Greeks   themselves   in  the  council  of 

Florence,  who  by  the  mouth  of  Isidorus,  metropolitan  of  Syria, 

and  legate  of  the  patriarch  of  Antioch,  and  one  of  the  seven 

deputed  by  the  Greek  prelates  to  dispute  with  the  Latins,  replied 

that  the  Greeks  did  unanimously  believe  the  consecration  to  be 

valid,  and  the  change  to  be  effected  by  the  words  of  Christ  :— 

"  This  is  my  body— this  is  my  blood  ;»  and  that  they  differed 

from  the  Latin  church,  merely  as  to  the  manner  of  explaining 

themselves.     But  that  having  found  the  above  prayer  in  the 

missals  of  Saints  Basil  and  Chrysostom,  which  they  then  used, 

and  which  were  extant  without  any  alteration,  long  belbre  the 

time  of  their  separation  from  the  Latin  church,  they  did  not  think 

fit  to  discard  it.     I  shall  give  you  the  words  of  Isidorus  himself 

as  they  were  taken  down  by  the  interpreter  of  the  said  council : 

"Hoc  Missale  quo  utimur  est  traditum  a  Basilio  et  bcato  Chrysostomo: 
utebanmr  autan  eo  aute  tenipus  schismatis,  nee  aliqua  facta  est  mutatio: 
tanien  oceidentaiis  Kcclesia  nunquam  Ac  hoc  verburn  fecit.,  videlicet  cuni 
fuerimus  Concordes,  ct  ad  eundem  tineni  tendentcs;  secundum  rem  diciinus 
idem,  et  credimus  id  quod  conficit  mysterium  esse  sermonem  Domini,  et  Domi- 
nicam  vocem  esse  efFectricem  divinorum  niunerum,  et  ilia  vox  semper  explicatur 
a  sacordote,  et  suscipit  sacerdes  quod  vox  replicata  aptetur,  et  sit  eadcm  vox 
cum  voce  Domini ;  et  ut  ita  aptetur,  invocatur  spiritus  sancius  et  supplicat 
eacerdos,  ut  per  virtutem  spiritus  sancti  concedatur  gratia  ut  vox  repelita 
efhciatur  ita  cffectiva,  ut  verburn  Dei  fuit ;  et  ita  credimus  consummativa 
fieri  per  illani  orationem  sacerdotis.  Dominicae  voces  habeiit  operationem  ut 
semma,  quia  sine  semine  non  potest  cffici  fructus;  ita  in  hoc  dominiea  voce: 
tamen  ubi  cadet  semen,  eget  aliis  instnimentis  ut  sacerdotis,  altaris,  oralio- 
•um,  unde  credimus  per  hoc  vobiscum  esse  Concordes." 

"This  Adissal  which  we  use  was  delivered  to  us  by  St.  Basil  and  St.  Chry- 
sostom, and  it  is  the  same  we  used  before  the  time  of  the  schism :  nor  is  there 
any  change  made  in  it;  yet  the  Latin  church  never  made  any  exception  on 
this  head,  inasmuch,  as  we  were  of  one  accord,  and  tending  to  the  same  end. 
We  in  reality  say  the  same  thing,  and  believe  that  that  which  completes  the 
mystery  IS  tlie  word  of  (lie  Lord,  and  that  the  word  of  our  Lord  produces  the 
diyme  gifts,  and  that  the  word  is  always  expressed  by  the  priest,  and  the 
priest  takes  care  that  the  word  repeated  should  be  adapted  to,  and  be  the 
same  with  the  word  of  our  Lord  ;  and  that  it  may  be  so  adapted,  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  invoked,  and  the  priest  prays  that  by  virtue  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
grace  may  be  granted,  tiiat  the  repeated  word  may  be  made  as  effective  aa 
the  word  of  God  was.  And  so  we  believe  that  it  becomes  consummated  by 
Uiat  prayer  of  the  priest     The  words  of  our  Lord  are  operative  hke  seci 


THE    DOCTRINE    OP    TRAN8UB8TANTIATION. 


223 


for  an  fruit  cannot  bn  produced  without  need,  so  it  is  in  this  word  of  our  Lord: 
yet  where  this  sw^d  fulls  it  requires  other  instruments,  for  cxiimplu  a  priest, 
an  altar,  and  prayers,  wlience  wc  beheve  that  in  this  matter  wosuhstaritioUy 
accord  wilii  you." 

Mr.  Pope.— Mr.  Maguire,  in  maintaining  the  doctrine  of 
transubstuntintion,  observed,  that  it  is  such  a  mystery,  that  tve 
are  not  to  pry  into  it,  and  endeavoured  to  institute  a  comparison 
between  it  and  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  I  deny  aUo;r,.ther 
that  any  p.irallehsm  exists.  On  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  we 
are  incapable  of  exercising  our  senses.  Man,  by  the  mere 
exercise  of  sense,  cannot  find  out  the  Ahnighty.  An  infmito 
distance  exists  between  the  Divine  nature  and  my  fncuUies. 
But  my  senses,  in  their  legitimate  provhice,  are  a  divine  reve- 
lation, and  the  direct  inlets  of  knowledge  to  the  mind.  Though 
they  cannot  investigate  the  nature  of  God,  for  it  is  above  their 
reach,  I  can  bring  one  and  all  of  tiiem  to  bear  upon  trunsubstan- 
tiation ;  and  their  united  testimony  is,  that  the  bread  is  bread, 
and  the  wine  is  wine.  Plence  no  parallel  can  be  drawn  between 
transubstantiation  and  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity. 

My  friend  has  said,  that  the  onus  rests  on  me  to  show,  that 
Melchisedech  made  an  offering,  in  order  to  demonstrate  the 
priesthood.  I  answer,  that  it  is  quite  sufficient  for  me,  that  God 
has  called  him  a  priest.  I  have  already  referred  to  Roman 
Catholic  authority  to  show,  that  the  word  translated  "  brought 
FORTH,"  is  properly  rendered,  the  original  expression  having  no 
reference  to  oblation  ;  that  the  word  rendered  *^for,^^  in  the 
Douay  Bible,  does  not  signify  ^'•for^''  but  "  and^^  and  that  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  verse  is  a  separate  clause. 

Mr.  Maguire  has  told  us,  that  two  and  two  make  four.  Does 
he  mean  to  introduce  this  arithmetical  calculation  to  illustrate 
the  proposition,  that  that  which  has  all  the  properties  of  bread  is 
flesh?  Such  a  position  I  maintain,  is  absurd,  opposed  to  the 
common  sense  of  mankind,  to  the  testimony  of  our  senses,  and 
contradictory  to  the  doctrines  of  holy  writ. 

My  friend  has  said,  that  the  body  of  Christ  came  down  from 
above  in  consequence  of  his  preternatural  generation,  through 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  would  refer  him  to  the  language 
of  the  Athanasian  creed,  which  Mr.  Maguire  has  subscribed. 
That  formulary,  speaking  of  the  Saviour  says,  "God  of  the 
substance  of  the  Father,  begotten  before  the  world,  and  man  of 
the  sub  static  e  of  his  mother^  born  in  the  world."  So  much  for 
Mr.  Maguire's  theological  accuracy. 

My  friend  has  said,  that  the  council  of  Trent  holds,  that 
althoij'^h  nuin  may  nartake  of  the  bodv  ond  blood  sou!  and 
divinity  of  Christ,  yet,  if  he  possesses  not  the  grace  of  God,  he 
tfhall  perish.     I  Mould  ask  a  simple  question.     Why  should  tho 


•I 


I  III 


224        THE    DOCTRINE    OP    TRAN8UB8TANTIA  TlOIf. 

council  of  Trent  take  one  part  of  our  Saviour's  words  iiterajly 
and  in  other  passages,  where  the  scripture  militates  against  the 
views  of  the  church  of  Rome,  reject  the  literal  sense? 

Mr.  Maguire  has  said,  if  the  Saviour  took  the  door  in  his 

hands  and  said,  "I  am  this  door;"  or  if  he  took  the  vino  in  his 

hund,  and  said,  "  I  am  this  vine,"  the  case  would  have  been 

difterent— but  oiethinks  transubstantiation  is  still  more  absurd ; 

for  he  supposes  Christ  to  intimate,  "  Hero  am  I,  sitting  with  you 

at  the  table,  circumscribed  as  to  my  humanity,  and  this  bit  of 

bread  which  I  hold  in  my  hand  is  my  body ;  I  grasp  this  body 

within  the  palm  of  my  hand,  and  I  give  this  body  from  myself 

to  you.     I  give  myself  fiom  myself,  to  be  partaken  of  before  my 

eyes."     My  friend  has  referred  us  to  the  marriage-feast.     I  am 

glad  that  he  has  reminded  us  of  a  sensible  transubstantiation.     I 

imagine  that  the  guests  saio  that  the  water  was  changed  into 

wine,  and  from  their  taste  also,  were  conscious  of  the  change. 

My  fnond  perceives,  that  they  had  only  to  exercise  their  senses 

to  discover,  that  that  which  had  been  water,  with  all  the  proper- 

ties  of  water,  was  now  wine,  with  all  the  properties  of  wine. 

If  Mr.  Maguire  allowed  his  flock  to  exercise  their  senses, 
they  too  would  find,  that  after  consecration  the  bread  is  still 
bread,  and  the  wine  still  wine.  Mr.  Maguire  has  made  an 
extraordinary  statement,  that  Christ  offered  himself  up,  before 
he  offerea  himself  up  !  He  should  be  loath  to  throw  out  insin- 
uations against  the  correctness  of  myquokitions— I  have  already 
exposed  him.  Was  he  not  detected  yesterday  in  a  quotation 
from  a  work,  to  the  original  of  which  I  referred  you  ?  He  says, 
that  he  quotes  from  originals— I  will  not  charge  my  friend  with 
an  intention  wilfully  to  mislead  us,— he  was,  I  will  admit,  him- 
selt  deceived,  having  implicitly  confided  in  the  quotations  placed 
m  his  hands ;  .but  I  say,  Mr.  Maguire  should  be  cautious.  I  have 
several  other  quotations.     St.  Augustin  says  upon  the  words  : 

.  "'  fie  ye  have  not  always.'  He  speaks  of  the  presence  of  his  body ;  ve 
shall  have  me  according  to  my  providence,  accordina  to  majesty  and  invisible 
grace;  but  accordmg  to  the  flesh  which  the  Word  assumed,  accordincr  ,o 
that  which  was  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  ye  shall  not  have  me:  therefore, 
because  that  he  conversed  with  his  disciples  forty  days,  he  is  ascended  ud 
into  heaven  and  is  not  here."— Tract  50  in  Joan.  Edit.  Basil.  1596. 

Yet  the  church  of  Rome  says,  that  the  body  of  Christ  is  on 
every  altar !     In  the  23d  epistle — 

"If  the  sacraments  (says  he)  had  not  some  resemblance  of  these  thinet 
whereof  they  are  sacraments,  they  would  not  be  sacraments  at  all ;  but  from 
Ihis  resemblance  they  take  for  the  most  part  the  names  of  the  things  which 
they  represent ;  therefore,  as  the  sacrament  of  the  booy  of  Christ  is'^in  some 

manner  nr  flnpan  Oljriat'a  Kn>1<f    nnA   >K»  «n^.„~. .  -/•  i.:.,    t^ 1    •     .1       11       1 

^'-1  "f^^^i"®  sacrament  of  laith  (meaning  baptism)  is  faith."— 23d  Epist 


Tom. 


u,  p.  93. 


THE    DOCTRINK    OF    TRANSUDSTANTI ATION,         223 

In  this  passage  8t.  Augustin  «how3  the  meaning  of  the  word* 
employed  to  designate  the  Eucharist,  and  cxphiirus  many  of  the 
strong  expressions  ti)  ho  found  in  Mr.  Maguire's  quotations. 

St.  Clement  of  Alexandria,  who  lived  in  the  second  century 
says, 

"Inasmuch  as  Christ  declared,  that  the  broad  which  I  give  you  ia  my  {losh, 
and  inasmuch  ns  flesh  ii  irrigated  by  bloo<i,  ther^-fore  the  wine  is  ali.euori- 
CALLT  CALLED  blood.— Pupda^.  Lil).  i,  c.  6,  p.  104.  For  the  word  is  alle- 
oouicALLT  DESiONATKD  by  mttoy  diflircnt  names,  such  as  meat,  ond  flesh, 
and  rjouiishment,  and  bread,  and  blood,  and  milk  ;  for  the  Lord  is  ui!  ihinga 
for  the  enjoyment  of  us  who  have  believed  in  him.  Nor  let  any  one  think  wo 
•penk  strangely,  when  we  say  that  milk  is  allecoricallt  called  the  blood 
of  the  Lord,  for  is  not  wine  likewise  alleooricallt  called  by  tho  very 
■ame  appellation  ?"— Pajdag.  lib.  i,  c.  6,  p.  105. 

Again, 

"  Tho  scripture,  thcji,  has  named  wine  a  htstic  symbol  of  the  holy  blood." 
—Ibid.  lib.  ii,  c.  2,  p.  1 56. 

Again, 

"Be  well  assured,  that  Christ  niao  himself  partook  of  wine,  inasmuch  a/, 
ho  also  was  a  man.     He  moreover  blessed  the  wine,  saying,  take,  drink 
this  is  my  blood,  the  blood  of  the  vine.     The  consecrated  liquor  of  exhilara 
tion,  therefore,  allrgokicallt  kepkksknts  the  Word,  who  poured  himseh 
out  on  beiialf  of  many  for  the  remission  of  sins." — Ibid.  lib.  ii,  c.  2,  p.  158. 

I  havp  various  other  quotations  to  the  same  effect,  but  my 
time  is  too  precious  to  bo  expended  in  reading  them  ;  you  can 
judge  whether  they  are  not  stronger  than  those  which  my  friend 
has  cited.  I  am  convinced  that  the  quotations  which  I  have 
read,  are  correctly  given.  My  opponent  has  doubted  that  pas- 
sage of  Pope  Gelasius : 

"  Certainly  the  sacraments  of  the  body  ond  blood  of  the  Lord  which  are 
received,  are  a  divine  thing,  because  by  these  we  are  made  partakers  of  the 
divine  nature ;  nevertheless  the  substance  or  nature  of  the  bread  and  wine 
ceases  not  to  exist,  ond  assuredly  the  image  and  similitude  of  the  body  and 
blood  of  Christ  are  celebrated  m  the  action  of  the  mysteries." — De  du(d>. 
Ckrisli  J^atur.  Cont.  J^est.  et  Eutych.  in  Biblioth.  Patr.  vol.  iv,  p.  422. 

My  friend  tells  me  that  this  book  is  doubted ;  but  there  is 
stronger  reason  why  my  passages  should  be  genuine  than  his. 
Protestants  have  no  index  expurgatorius  to  which  the  Fathers 
must  be  subject — "  Solius  est  Dei  adorari"  is  purged  by  that 

index  from  the  index  of  the  works  of  Athauasius  and  Augustin 

and  if  a  doctrine  of  that  nature  could  be  purged,  is  there  any 
reason  to  doubt  that  the  passages  which  remain  untouched,  are 
the  genuine  sentiments  of  their  originals. — Adorari  solius  Dei 
est :  (adoration  belongs  to  God  alone)  deleatur  ex.  ind.  oper. 
Athanasii  Indice  lib.  Prohib.  et  Expurg.  p.  62.  Madrit.  An. 
1G27.     licni  ex  In.  Oper.  St.  August,  ibiu.  p.  36. 

Mr.  Maguire  has  produced  passages  from  Luther.  I  ask  him 
m  the  face  of  the  world  to  produce  the  places  from  which  they 


226 


THE  DOCTRINE  OP  TRANSUB8TANTIATI0N. 


1 1  i 


are  taken.  They  carry  upon  the  fiice  of  them  their  own  refuta 
tion.  I  am  satisfied  that  many  of  them  were  never  uttered  by 
that  eminent  and  intrepid  reformer,  the  great  and  mighty  Luther. 
As  to  the  liturgies  to  which  I  referred,  in  order  /o  meet  my  oppo- 
nent on  his  own  ground,  they  have  little  weight  with  me ;  but 
they  show  the  opinions  of  the  individuals  who  used  them,  upon 
the  subject.  The  Greeks  gave,  I  imagine,  but  a  lame  and 
confused  account  of  them  at  the  council  of  Florence,  and  these 
liturgies  were  composed  one  thousand  years  before  that  council. 
If  transubstantiation,  which,  the  church  of  Rome  says,  takes 
place  as  soon  as  the  words  of  consecration  are  uttered,  was  held 
by  those  who  used  these  liturgies,  it  would  be  inconsistent,  that 
the  prayer  should  be  subsequent  to  the  words  of  consecration, 
and  that  even  after  consecration  they  should  continue  to  call  the 
elements  gifts.  I  admit,  that  the  expression  is  strong,  (but 
remember,  that  it  was  used  after  consecration)  namely,  that  God 
would  make  this  bread,  the  holy  body  of  Christ.  We  have 
learned  from  Augustin,  that  the  names  of  the  things  signified 
are  often  employed  instead  of  the  names  of  the  signs.  My 
friend  has  not  met  me  respecting  the  authors  of  the  mass  not 
believing  in  transubstantiation.  I  am  convinced  that  he  cannot 
controvert  my  proofs,  that  they  did  not  believe  in  that  doctrine. 
To  proceed  with  my  arguments — I  have  shown  that  the  Saviour, 
even  in  the  very  place  which  describes  the  institution  of  the 
sacrament,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  employed  figurative  language. 
What  reason  have  we  for  thinking  that  there  is  not  figurative 
language  in  this  passage  also?  I  shall  assign  to  you  my  reasons 
for  believing  that  the  expression,  "this  my  body,"  is  to  be  taken 
in  a  figurative  sense  also.  Our  Saviour  says,  "  do  this  for  a 
commemoration  of  me." — (Luke,  xxii,  19.)  I  ask,  if  the  real 
body  and  blood  of  Christ — if  Christ  himself,  be  substantially 
present,  how  the  Eucharist  can  be  observed  as  a  commemorative 
act?  The  commemoration  of  a  person  betokens  that  the  per- 
son commemorated  is  absent,  not  present.  "  As  often  as  ye  eat 
this  bread,  and  drink  the  chalice,  ye  shall  show  the  death  of  the 
Lord  till  he  come." — (1  Cor.  xi,  25.)  There  are  innumerable 
figurative  expressions  in  holy  writ.  "  The  seven  full  ears  are 
seven  years  of  plenty,  the  seven  lean  kine  are  seven  years  of 
famine." — (Gen.  xli,  26, 27.)  "  The  seven  candlesticks  are  the 
seven  churches." — (Apoc.  i,  20.)  "  The  seven  heads  are  seven 
mountains." — (Apoc.  xvii,  9.)  In  the  passover  itself,  we  have 
the  expression,  "it  ia  the  Lord's  passover,"  (Exod.  xii,  11.)  or 
as  the  Douay  version  renders  h\  "  it  is  the  phase  of  the  Lord.'* 
The  auxiliary  verb,  in  the  sense  of"  represent,"  is  usual  to  the 
sacred  writers.  Recollect  too,  that  the  words,  "  this  is  my 
body,"  were  addressed  to  Jews,  who  were  accustomed  to  this 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 


227 


style  of  language  at  the  feast  of  the  passover.  Justin  Martyr 
tells  us,  that  the  form  of  words,  used  at  the  passover  from  Ezra's 
time,  was,  "  this  passover  is  our  Saviour  and  our  refuge," — 
(Dial,  cum  Tryph.  p.  297.  Ed.  Paris,  1639.)— that  is,  this 
passover  represents  him,  who  is  our  Saviour  and  our  refuge. 
Bear  in  mind,  therefore,  that  our  Saviour  addressed  himself  to 
men  who  were  prepared  to  understand  him  in  a  figuralive  sense. 
Further — the  Jews  were  forbidden  to  eat  blood ;  (Lev.  xvii,  10, 
11,  12.)  would  not  the  feelings  of  the  Apostles  have  been 
shocked,  if  they  believed  that  the  Saviour  had  commanded  them 
to  partake  of  it.  The  prohibition  was  not  subsequently  repealed ; 
for,  as  my  friend  has  observed,  the  council  of  Jerusalem,  as  he 
terms  it,  enforced  an  abstinence  from  blood.  Again,  if  the 
Saviour's  words  are  to  be  taken  literally,  they  would  do  ayi'ay 
with  the  nature  of  a  sacrament,  and  contradict  the  prophecy 
which  says,  "  Thou  wilt  not  suffer  thy  Holy  One  to  see  corrup- 
tion."— Psalm  XV,  U). 

Sacred  Writ  says,  that  the  body  of  Christ  shall  not  see  corrup- 
tion :  but  the  elements,  even  after  consecration,  are  corruptible ; 
therefore,  we  argue,  that  they  cannot  have  been  transubstantiated 
into  that  body,  which  does  not  see  corruption.  Mark  the  con- 
sequence of  rejecting  the  testimony  of  sense  :  that  which  proves 
the  truth  of  Christ's  resurrection,  proves  the  falsehood  of  tran- 
substantiation ;  but  if  the  testimony  of  sense  is  to  be  refused, 
then  we  weaken  the  evidence  for  the  Christian  revelation.  St. 
John,  in  his  first  epistle,  first  chap,  says, 

"  That  which  we  have  heard,  which  we  have  seen  with  our  eyes,  which  we 
have  looked  upon,  and  whicli  our  hands  have  handled,  of  the  word  of  Life: 
for  the  ht'e  was  manifested :  and  we  have  seen  and  do  bear  witness,  and 
declare  unto  you  tlie  life  eternal,  which  was  with  the  Father,  and  hath  appeared 
tons:  that  which  we  have  seen  and  have  heard,  we  declare  unto  you,  that 
you  also  ma^  have  fellowship  with  us,  and  our  fellowship  may  be  with  the 
Father  and  with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ-" 

When  Thomas  doubted,  the  Saviour  said  to  him, 

"Put  in  thy  finger  hither,  and  see  my  hands,  and  bring  hither  thy  hand, 
and  put  it  into  tny  side ;  and  be  not  faitiiless  but  believing." — John,  xx,  27. 

The  Saviour,  'tis  true,  added,  "  Blessed  are  ihey  that  have 
not  seen,  and  yet  have  believed."  But  he  did  not  say,  "  Blessed 
are  those  who  have  seen,  and  yet  have  not  believed  ;"  the  blessing 
was  not  to  those,  who  having  the  opportunity  of  seeing,  disre- 
garded the  testimony  of  their  senses,  but  to  those  who  not  seeing, 
yet  believed — who,  when  the  evidence  of  sense  was  wanting, 
yet  believed.  I  would  ask,  what  is  the  use  of  this  irrational  and 
extraordinary  doctrme  I  I  will  tell  you — to  make  demi-gods  of 
the, Roman  Catholic  priests — to  raise  them  in  the  estimation  of 
the  people,  and  to  cause  the  multitude  to  look  up  to  them  as  men 


228 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 


who  can  create  their  God.  In  the  dark  ages,  an  account  of 
.  which  I  read  to  you,  when  the  priests  domineered  over  the 
intellects  of  men,  when  abuses  and  fictions  were  introduced,  was 
this  monv«itrous  doctrine  established.  You  have  heard  the  story 
of  the  mule — the  heretic  was  convinced — he  exercised  his  senses 
on  the  miracle.  Now,  if  he  exercised  his  senses  on  the  miracle, 
why  should  he  not  have  exercised  them  on  transubstantiation 
itself?  Permit  me  also  to  add,  that  the  Saviour  most  probably 
spoke  in  the  Syriac  language — and,  as  in  that  tongue  there  is 
no  word  signifying  « to  represent,"  was  under  the  necessity  of 
employing  the  auxiliary  verb.  I  now  call  upon  Mr.  Maguire  to 
meet  me  upon  the  question  like  a  man,  and  not  to  beat  about 
the  bush — to  use  a  vulgar  phrase. 

Mr.  Maguire. — I  hope,  gentlemen,  you  wish  to  hear  more 
than  one  side  of  the  question ;  if  you  are  sincerely  anxious  to 
know  the  truth,  you  will  hear  both  with  equal  attention.  My 
friend  has  called  upon  me  to  follow  him  step  by  step,  I  thought 
my  forte  throughout  this  discussion  was  the  use  of  argument,  and 
from  the  first  day  up  to  this  moment,  I  could  never  keep  my 
friend  from  preaching  sermons,  and  confine  him  to  the  question 
at  issue.  He  denies  that  any  parallelism  exists  in  the  cases  of 
the  niysteries  of  the  Incarnation,  the  Trinity,  and  Transubstan- 
tiation. But  he  there  calculates  without  his  host — has  he 
attempted  to  show  that  these  doctrines  are  not  mysteries  ?  Has 
he  quoted  texts  of  scripture  against  me,  as  I  have  against  him  ? 
Has  he  brought  forward  a  single  direct  text  from  scripture 
against  me  ?  One  thing  is  clear,  by  rejecting  transubstantiation, 
hecause  it  is  a  imjstery,  this  gentleman  overturns  all  mysteries, 
and  is  become  a  professed  Socinian.  He  has  quoted  the  evi- 
dence of  the  senses  against  transubstantiation.  But  even  if  that 
doctrine  contradicted  the  senses,  he  should  recollect  that  the 
senses  have  nothing  to  do  with  regard  to  a  mystery.  St.  Paul 
says,  "  Faith  then  cometh  by  hearing,  and  hearing  by  the  word 
of  Christ."  I  call  on  Mr.  Pope  to  prove  that  transubstantiation 
is  not  a  mystery— I  call  upon  him  to  show,  that  we  are  not  to 
believe  the  doctrine  because  it  appears  opposed  to  the  evidence 
of  some  of  the  senses,  though  we  are  told  that  "  faith  cometh 
by  hearing,  and  hearing  by  the  word  of  Christ."  We  find  that 
St.  Paul  here  excludes  all  the  senses  as  judges  of  mysteries, 
save  the  sense  of  hearing  only.  If  the  senses  be  not  constituted 
as  the  proper  judges  of  mysteries  to  pronounce  upon  their  truth, 
then  all  his  reasoning  as  to  the  evidence  of  the  senses  falls  to 


— «.. — 1 


^ynl  of  Jerusaicm  brings  forward  arguments 


to  shew,  that  the  evidence  of  the  senses  may  be  contradicted  in 
a  mystery,  and  I  have  quoted  St  Augusvin.  where  that  hti\y 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  TRANSUHSTANTIATION.    229 

Father  says,  that  "  Christ  held  his  body  in  his  own  hands."     It 
was  absurd,  then,  on  the  part  of  my  opponent,  to  press  St.  Au- 
gustin  into  an  opposition  to  this  doctrine.    He  has  enlarged  upon 
the  senses  as  the  bulwark  of  our  faith.    The  senses  often  contra- 
dict themselves — or  rather  contradict  facts ;  thus,  Joshua  seeing 
an  angel,  mistook  him  for  a  man.     The  woman  at  the  sepulchre 
saw  two  young  men  at  the  tomb,  and  yet  the  scripture  tells  us 
they  were  angels,  and  God  appeared  in  the  form  of  man,  and 
yet  was  taken  for  a  mere  man.     Here,  then,  the  senses  contra- 
dicted themselves.     Again,  if  you  immerse  a  straight  stick  in 
water,  you  would  almost  swear,  were  you  to  believe  your  sifrht, 
that  the  stick  was  crooked.     In  natural  things  it  is  very  common 
to  see  the  senses  contradicted.     In  the  strict  sense  of  the  word, 
it  is  true  they  are  not  contradicted,  for  it  is  not  the  business  of 
the  senses  to  pronounce  judgment  according  to  the  principles 
of  philosophy ;  they  are  to  convey  the  impressions  made  upon 
them  to  the  mind — to  relate  merely  what  appears  to  them.     In 
respect  to  the  angel  and  the  stick,  they  merely  relate  to  the 
mind  what  appears  as  a  fact  to  them.     When  a  man  sees  what 
is  called  a  wafer,  he  tastes  and  smells  it ;  and  here  I  grant  these 
senses  contradict  his  faith.     But  to  the  senses  we  oppose  the 
express  promises  of  Christ,  and  believe  with  St.  Paul  that  faith 
Cometh  by  hearing ;  and  that  our  Lord  bequeathed  to  man,  as  a 
test  of  his  love,  a  most  extraordinary  but  mysterious  legacy.     As 
Mr.  Pope  argues  that  the  testimony  of  the  senses  is  fatal  to 
transubstantiation,  it  remains  for  him  to  show,  either  that  it  is 
not  a  mystery,  or  that  faith  cometh  not  by  hearing,  for  no  sense 
is  allowed  to  judge  of  mysteries,  but  the  sense  of  hearing.    Christ 
said,  'Hhis  is  my  body."     The  Apostles  heard  the  words  pro- 
nounced, and  their  sense  of  hearing  was  the  only  jud^e.     We 
have  it  upon  their  testimony,  that  Christ  spake  the  words,  con- 
sequently our  faith  must  come  from  hearing.     How  will  my 
friend  prove  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity?     It  contradicts  all  the 
senses,  save  that  of  hearing,  so  does  the  doctrine  of  the  I  near- 
nation.     If  that  be  the  case,  if  angels  be  taken  for  men,  and  that 
the  senses  are  thus  led  astray,  it  is  absurd  to  say  that  a  mystery 
is  not  to  be  believed,  because  it  contradicts  the  senses.     Mr. 
Pope  has  recurred  to  Melchisedech.     I  challenged  him  to  show 
that  Melchisedech  ever  offered  up  sacrifice  but  on  one  occasion, 
and  yet  he  is  called  a  priest  of  th"  Most  High.     And  Christ  is 
called  by  the  royal  prophet  and  ^y  the  Apostle  Paul,  *-  a  priest 
for  ever  according  to  the  order  of  Melchisedech."    Melchisedech 
could^  not  be  a^ priest  without  offering  up  a  sacrifice.     This  he 
did  when  he  offeieu  the  bread  and  wine  ;  why  were  they  intro- 
duced 1    Evidently  to  show  that  he  made  an  ofi'ering.     Jerome's 
testimony  on  this  matter  is  preferable  to  that  of  Mr.  Pope.     I 

20 


^iiM 


230 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    TRANSUBST ANTIATION. 


caro  i.ot  for  the  Hebrew  orig'nals,  as  they  are  called.  It  is 
admitted  by  two  Protestant  divines,  Doctors  Wall  and  Mills, 
that  the  old  Italian  version  is  the  purest  copy  extant  of  the  Bible. 
I  have  ail  the  liUtheran  churches  against  Mr.  Pope  on  this 
matter,  and  all  the  heretics  till  the  days  of  Berengarius.  He 
first  denied  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation ;  but  he  died  a 
convert,  and  was  heartily  sorry  for  his  fatal  error.  After  hirn, 
it  is  an  admitted  fact,  that  Zuinglius,  in  his  comment  on  the 
words,  "  Hoc  est  corpus  meutn,"  substituted  the  verb  "  renre- 
serJaV  for  the  verb  "  ««<,"  so  that  the  sense  would  run,  "  '1  his 
represents  my  body."  And  this  doctrine  he  confesses  to  have 
received  from  a  spectre ;  but  he  adds,  "  Nescio  an  albo,  an 
nigra,"  "  I  know  not  whether  it  was  black  or  white."  Luther, 
in  the  most  ferocious  manner,  attacked  Calvin  on  the  subject. 
He  maintained  the  doctrine  of  the  real  presence  against  Calvin 
and  Zuinglius  ;  he  defied  them,  as  I  have  defied  my  friend,  to 
disprove  that  doctrine  by  arguments  drawn  from  scripture ;  he 
describes  them  as  diff*ering  from  all  the  churches  in  the  world, 
and  from  the  Lutheran  churches  in  particular. 

My  friend  has  introduced  the  marriage  at  Cana  in  Gallilee,  to 
show  that  there  the  transubstantiation  was  made  palpable  to  the 
senses.  I  am  sorry  to  perceive,  that  he  is  unable  to  distinguish 
between  the  nature  of  a  mystery  and  a  miracle.  Because  Christ 
performed  a  miracle,  of  which  the  senses  were  able  to  judge,  of 
course  it  follows,  that  the  senses  are  able  to  pronounce  upon  a 
mystery.  Oh !  profound  argument — oh  !  noble  logician.  Do 
the  doctrines  of  the  Trinity  and  of  the  Incarnation  fall  under  the 
judgment  of  tie  senses?  If  Christ  performed  miracles  to  con- 
vert the  Jews  and  Pagans,  it  must  therefore  follow,  according  to 
Mr.  Pope,  that  all  mysteries  are  false.  If  the  Incarnation  and 
the  Trinity  are  to  be  brought  under  the  cognizance  of  the  senses, 
then  the  doctrine  of  original  sin  must  be  rejected,  for  it  never 
can  be  understood  by  man,  nor  can  the  senses  reconcile  it  with 
the  divine  goodness  and  mercy.  I  introduced  the  marriage  at 
Cana,  to  show  that  it  is  not  incompatible  with  ChrisVs  power  to 
work  the  miracle  of  transubstantiation,  because,  in  one  of  his  first 
miracles,  he  changed  water  into  wine,  which  was  purely  a  tran- 
substantiation. But  I  never  introduced  that  miracle  directly  to 
prove  that  he  instituted  the  mystery  of  transubstantiation  at  his 
last  supper. 

It  is  a  principle  in  logics  that  comparisons  are  not  to  hold 
throughout  all  their  bearings.  As  to  the  passage  from  Gelasius, 
it  remains  for  Mr.  Pope  to  prove  it  genuine.      Hawarden  has 

0ll*^*k^1l/      t-k  VftOtt'Af^^^l  iKt**       %^      an       ^^•■l-^*^^      ^.  »v«  n.^«vf^*      ^mI^.A^     ...I.^aI.^ aL*_ 

Mill  Mvij    tiiiTTT  V  I  vt^j    tiiui  81  i^'  uunuinvj  aiiiv/i:j^3i  »,iJiiui3   mictllCS  UliS 

work  was  written  by  Pope  Gelasius,  or  by  Gelasius  Cyzinicus, 
the  autlior  of  a  book  "  De  duabus  Christi  Naturis."  The  writer 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    TRANSUB8TANTIATI0N.         231 

of  this  book,  whoever  he  was,  observes,  that  because  nppear- 
ancys  or  accidents  continue  after  consecration,  we  must  carefully 
distinguish  between  the  appearances'  and  the  reahty,  viz. — the 
body  and  blood  of  Christ.     His  words  are — 

"  Et  tamcn  esse  non  desinit  substanta  vel  natnra  panis  et  virii." 

"  And  yet  the  substance  or  nature  of  bread  and  wine  does  not  cease." 

Those  words  are  quite  reconcileable  with  orthodox  doctrine, 
for  the  substance  or  nature  of  bread  and  wine  remains  after  con- 
secration, as  far  as  the  senses  are  concerned.  And  that  thia  was 
the  meaning  of  Pope  Gelasius,  (supposing  him  to  have  been  the 
author)  is  pretty  clear,  from  his  using  the  disjunctive  preposition 
"  vel,"  "  or,"  which  certainly  qualifies  the  apparent  harshness 
of  the  sentence.  The  words  substance  and  nature  are  not  always 
used  to  express  the  essential  properties  of  a  subject — substance 
is  one  thing — and  the  nature  of  a  substance  another.  Thus  a 
stone  is  a  substance,  and  so  is  iron  but  the  hardness  of  the  stone 
and  the  hardness  of  iron  is  the  nature  of  the  substance.  Let 
any  man  examine  the  work  itself,  and  he  will  find  that  there  is 
nothing  in  those  words  inconsistent  with  the  doctrine  of  transub- 
stantiution. 

My  opponent  has  accused  me  of  misquoting.    It  shall  appear 
to  the  world  which  of  us  has  been  convicted  of  misquotations. 
As  soon  as  this  discussion  has  terminated,  and  the  report  of  it 
is  published,  I  shall  certainly  go  to  Manchester  library,  and  con- 
sult the  editions  of  the  Fathers  preserved  there.     Although  my 
friend  has  Trinity  College  at  his  back,  with  all  its  fellows  to 
assist  him,  it  shall  then  be  made  manifest,  who  was  the  more 
correct  in  quoting  from  the  Fathers.     This  gentleman  would 
make  transubstantiation  appear  a  foolish  doctrine,  because  Christ 
should  be  present  in  so  many  places  at  once.      My  opponent  is 
truly  a  wonderful  philosopher.     May  I  ask  him,  can  he  describe 
the  properties  of  a  spiritualized  and  purified  body  ?      The  body 
of  our  Saviour,  after  his  resurrection  passed  through  the  pores 
of  a  door.     Is  not  that  inexplicable  1    I  shoiild  be  happy  to  hear 
Mr.  Pope  describe  the  properties  of  a  body  spiritualized  and  of 
a  spirit.     The  Devil  himself  can  be  present  in  many  places  at 
once— otherwise  he  could  not  tempt  mankind.      According  to 
my  principles,  and  those  of  every  Catholic,  it  is  blasphemy  to 
call  in  doubt  the  omnipresence  of  Christ.     And  will  those  who 
pretend  to  venerate  the  Saviour  so  much,  presume  to  call  it  in 
question  ?     If  Christ's  humanity  be  hypostatically  united  to  his 
divinity,  does  not  he  who  circumscribes  the  one,  by  implication 
Circurriacribc  ihc  other  1     my  friend  doubts  the  passages  vvliich 
I  have  quoted  from  Luther.  1  have  here  600  passages  more  from 
him,  which  i  espect  for  the  present  assembly  prevents  me  from 


232 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    TRANSU^3TANTIAT10Pf. 


i  I 


;i 


1 1 


m 

ill  1 1 


quoting  now — I  have  the  book  here — I  cjin  prove  the  authenti- 
city and  genuineness  of  the  text— I  will  publish  my  quotations 
in  the  report  of  the  present  proceedings — then  let  the  fellows  of 
Trinity  College  convict  nne,  if  they  can,  of  false  quotations. 
My  friend  has  quoted  the  words  "  Do  this  in  remembrance  of 
me."     The  followmg  is  the  language"  of  the  Latin  Vulgate  : 

"  Hoc  facile  in  meam  commemorationem."  '*  Do  this  in  remembrance 
of  me." 

St.  Paul  in  the  11th  chapter  of  his  first  epistle  to  the  Corin- 
thians, explains  the  above  thus  : 

"  auoties  cunque  enim,  manducabitia  panem  hunc  et  caliccm  bibetis  mor- 
tem donimi  luiunciauitis,  donee  veniat"— "  For  as  often  as  you  shall  eat  this 
bread,  and  drink  tliis  chalice,  you  shall  show  forth  the  death  of  the  Lord  until 
ho  come." 

St.  Paul  clearly  explains  what  our  Lord  meant  by  the  words, 
"  Do  this  in  remembrance  of  me," — that  is,  as  often  as  you  do 
this,  you  will  commemorate  my  death  and  passion.    The  reality, 
therefore,  of  Christ's  presence'  in  tlie  sacrament  of  th^  altar,  by 
no  means  excludes  the  idea  of  a  commemoration,  for  although 
the  present  sacrifice  be  truly  a  sacrifice,  yet  as  it  is  not  a  bloody 
sacrifice,  it  may  be  justly  entitled  a  commemoration  of  the  bloody 
one  on  the  cross.      The  unbloody  sacrifice  of  the  mass  is  the 
remembrance  of  the  death  and  passion  of  Christ,  and  as  often 
as  it  is  celebrated  the  death  and  passion  of  our  Lord  are  shown 
forth  until  he  come.     Christ,  therefore,  was  justified  in  calling  it 
in  that  sense  a  remembrance,  though  in  the  other  sense  he  is 
really  present,  and  is  really  offered   up.     But  my   friend  has 
endeavoured  to  confuse  with  figurative  expressions  the  immu- 
table words  of  scripture.     He  would  leave   nothing  clear  or 
certain  in  the  Bible.     Every  thing  according  to  him  is  to  be 
taken  in  a  metaphorical  sense.      Should  I  attempt  to  do  so,  he 
would  insist  on  holding  me  to  the  precise  terms  of  the  text,  and 
when  I  endeavour  to  confine  him  to  the  strict  meaning,  he  has 
recourse  to  iropes  and  metaphors.      It  is  impossible  in  such  a 
way,  to  prove  the  falsehood  of  a  doctrine  which  has  been  held  in 
the  church  for  1800  years.     The  Arians,  the  Manicheans,  the 
Eutychians,  and  all  such  noted  heretics,  never  denied  the  real 
presence  of  Christ  in  the  sacrament  of  the  altar. 

My  friend  has  quoted  the  liturgies.  I  have  them  here  as 
translated  by  Dr.  Brett,  a  Protestant,  and  no  friend  to  the  Cath- 
olics, and  they  all  prove  transubstantiation.  Mr.  Pope  has  called 
the  Lord's  passover  the  type  of  Christ.  It  is  admitted  on  all 
hands,  that  it  was  tllie  type  of  Christ's  body.     Ought  not  the 

thillfr  tvnifipri  PY/^aaH   in   cnltafunno  ....  -        

* o  VI — ; "'•• — 

was  real  blood  in  the  passover. 
spilled  at  the  doors,  apd  it  was 


'>0    ar\i\     i.w%olif.r   ^Vk'k    WW 


riM ^ 


type  of  the  blood  of  Christ. 


THE    DOCTRINE    OP    TRANSUB8TANTIATI0N.        235 
If  the  type  was  the  real  blood  of  the  animal,  of  course  that  is 
more  important  which  is  the  antitype— namely,  the  real  hlooci  of 
Christ— the  type  is  itself  the  conHrmation  of  the  thin-  typitied. 
1  he  Jews  were  told,  "  eat  not  blood."      I  ask  any  man  pos- 
sessed  of  common  sense,  if  the  eating  of  that  which  is  (rpparenllti 
bread  and  wine,  is  to  be  considered  in  the  same  light  as  the 
eatmg  of  animal  blood  ?     The  Apostle  has  been  quoted,  and   J 
never  heard  a  more  wilful  misinterpretation  of  scripture.     The 
command  of  the  Apostles  applied  to  that  only  which  had  all  the 
natural  appearances  of  blood.      They  gave  an  express  com- 
niandrnent  not  to  eat  it,  and  I  therefore  called  on  Mr.  Pope  to 
show  by  what  authority  he  was  permitted  to  take  gravy.  I  called 
upon  him  to  prove  from  the  Bible  by  what  authority  the  sign  of 
the  cross  is  made  in  baptism— to  prove  from  the  Bible  the  pro- 
cession of  the  Holy  Ghost— to  show  why  he  neglected  to  wash 
his  neighbor's  feet,  in  contradiction  to  our  Saviour's  command, 
and  why  he  did  not  observe  the  Jewish  sabbath.  From  a  notice 
ot  all  those  questions  he  has  prudently  abstained.    You,  gentle- 
men,  will  estimate  the  value  of  such  prudence. 

But  Mr.  Pope  says,  that  the  body  of  Christ  will  never  see 
corruption.     He  should  prove,  that  when  the  species  begin  to 
decay,  Christ  could  not  extricate  himself  and  ascended  to  his 
heavenly  Father.     Are  the  rays  of  the  sun  polluted  by  passinn 
through  an  unclean  medium  ?  If  that  be  so  in  the  natural  world 
It  is  foolish  to  think  that  Christ  could  be  contaminated  by  contact 
with  corruptible   matter.     Mr.  Pope  has  quite  established  the 
bocinian  system  by  his  arguments.     The  Socinian  admits  no 
principle  but  reason  as  his  guide— neither  does  Mr.  Pope    The 
Socinian  will  only  interpret  the  sacred  scriptures  accordirg  to 
his  private  judgment.     Mr   Pope  coincides  with  him  fully  on 
that  point.     The  Socinian   rejects  transubstantiation,  and   all 
mysteries,  as  contrary  to  reason.  Will  Mr.  Pope  go  that  length  ? 
His  arguments  certainly  tend  thereto.     Now,  I  can  prove  that 
the  doctrine  of  the  real  presence   was  not  alone  retained  by 
l^uther,  but  that  the  doctrine  was  retained  in  the  church  of  JJng- 
Jand  until   she  became  Calvinistical.      Mr.  Pope's  arguments 
would  go  to  show  that  no  preparation  was  necessary  for  the 
receiving  of  the  sacrament  in  the  church  of  England— that  no 
moral   change  was  required,  and  that  only  a  bit  of  bread  and 
wine,  instead  of  the  body  of  Christ,  were  received  in  the  com- 
munion.    Bishop   Andrews,  in  the  time  of  James  the  first,  in 
his  answer  to  Bellarmine,  admits  that  Chrst  is  present  in  the 
sacrament  of  the  altar  ;  and. he  adds  : 
"  I  also  with  St.  Ambrose  adore  liie  flesh  of  Christ  in  the  mvsteries." 
Bishop  Forbes,   De  Eucharistia,   Lib.   ii.  Cap. '2,  has  tbo 
following  remarkable  passage  : 

20* 


M4         THE    DOCTRINE    OF    TRANSUB8TANTIATI0N. 

chrrilt!"  '°""*^"  P'otestants  make  no  doubt  of  adoring  Christ  in  th«  E* 
And, 

Thorndyke  says,  in  lib.  iii,  cap.  30,  page  360— 
"  I  suppose  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  may  be  adorrd  wheresoevpr  th^v 

^^h'fnl?'  "•'"'Tf  ^^/  Sood  Chri8tidn..iheretl.ecu8rom  ofthechS 
which  a  Christian  is  ohli/^ed  to  communicate  willj,  requires  it  Anrf  is  nnt 
the  presence  thereof  in  the  sacrament  of  the  Euchnrist  7  i.,«t  ...  •  °^ 
-entfy  to  express,  by  that  bodily  act  of  adir^tron  th^t  inl^rd  ,rour'TvS 
wc  always  carry  towards  our  llord  Christ  as  God  ?"  '  ^^'""^ 

And, 

thi','  ^'°Hn  I  'r  "^''  m"1  ^•''*'''°'"'  ^""y^  ^")  «'"^''  J^-ith  carried  me  to  publish  all 
S'in  t^Sri;^^;;^.^^^'-^  -^  ^«-  -  theancicffSut^! 

Dr.  Cosin,  in  stating  the  doctrines  of  the  church  of  England, 

umII  T'""^  ^"^'^1  omnipotency  can  chanso  one  substance  into  another  none 
will  deny  ;  and  we  see  it  done  by  Christ  in  the  town  of  001111"^  when  h« 
changed  the  water  ,nfo  wine,  and  it' was  a  true  and  proper  trans  bstantaSon 
We  do  not  say  that  God  is  not  able  to  make  the  bcly  of  Chri't  nn  "en  Tn,i 
truly  give  it  ■„  the  sacrament,  whilst  the  substanc^  of  ^fK  .emain, 
U  e_  beheve  a  presence  and  union  of  Christ  with  our  soul  and  bodv  which 
we  know  not  how  to  eal   better  than  sacramental ;  that  is  effe  ted  bV^a  Jn- 
that  while  we  eat  and  drink  the  consecrated  bread  and  wine  wf^nt  „nJ^^""i' 
therewithal  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  not  ina  corpoS  m'.re    but'l^^ 
0  her  way,  incomprehensible,  known  only  to  God,  which  we  call'sniS 
We  confess  with  the  Fathers  that  this  maLer  of  presence  I  una  coCable 
Lvl^T^  f'?:'"S  out;  not  to  be  searched  and  pried  into  by  reason.  2,"    be! 
hcved  by  faith.     For  it  is  more  acceptable  to  cid,  with  an  humble  simp  ic^tv 
of  faith  to  reverence  aad  embrace  the  words  of  Christ  (this  is  mv  bodv  Ffbnn 
eZTt'""  ^'^  f  ^'y '^  ^  strange  and  improper  sense,  or  oKerS'iwt" 
exceeds  the  capacity  of  men  and  angels.  \Ve  llo  not  find  fault  witha  gene  a 
exphca  lon  of  the  manner.     We  confess  the  necessity  of  a  supernatufaland 
heavenly  change,  and  that  the  signs  cannot  become  sacraments  but  hv,h« 
sent  th?hT'  i  ^"  T-     J\'  ""''h  r^  '"^^'^  «'"'^"  ^"id,  doeT nof  onlj  /J^ 
kor!  nfft^^  ""^  °"''  ]:°'.^'  ^f  ''''^°'  ^'^'""  ^^^^'^^^'  «'«  ^'^  truly  made  ST- 
kers  of  that  nrecious  body  ;  for  so  saith  St.  Jerome.  « the  body  and  blfod  of 

?hTL-  '"'^'  •'  ']"'.P'.^3'^'-  ^^  »'^f  P"^«t ;  that  is.  the  elemenfs  so  qualified 
that  being  received.  It  becomes  the  communion  of  the  body  and^  food  S 
Ciifisf,  whuh  It  could  not  without  the  preceding  pravers  And  if  1  =1^ 
impossible  that  the  flesh  of  Christ  shoulJ  descend,  Sn/ comet  be  or  S 
^rough  so  great  a  distance,  we  must  remember  how  much  the  power  of^e 
til  ,S  tT*  '  "'"■  ''"'f  •''"•^  our  apprehensions,  and  how  absurd  i  w-ould 
rWv  on  .  *'*^^,  ^^  """".'^r  '"'  '"""^n^'ty  h  o^n  weakness  and  narrow  capa- 
city, and  so  make  our  laith  to  conceive  and  believe  what  our  reason  canEot 
comprehend.  Yet  our  faith  doth  not  cause,  or  make  that  presence  bStappre. 
hends  it  as  most  truly  and  reallv  tffvtpd  b"  t^^  •"-►-i  J n^.:.:  '  m.  PPf®- 
whereby  we  arc  saul  to  eat  the  flesh  of  Ch'rist,  is  not  that^'only  whereby  we 
beheve  that  he  died  for  our  sins,  for  this  faith  is  required  an/  TppS^O 


It  in  the  Eu> 


(Calvinists) 
)l  only  with 
of  adoration, 
e  commonly 
present  after 


esoever  they 
ofthechurcn 
And  is  not 
ccasion  pre 
nour,  which 


0  publish  all 
lent  church, 

England, 


other,  none 
e,  when  he 
stnntiation. 
resent,  and 
d  remains, 
)dy,  which 
by  eating ; 
and  drink 
•,  but  some 

spiritual. 
Jcountable 
n,  but  bc- 
simplicitv 
)riy,)  than 
nine  what 
I  a  general 
itural  and 
Hit  by  the 
nly  repre- 
ide  parta- 
1  blood  of 
qualified, 

blood  of 
if  it  seem 
!  our  food 
er  of  the 
I  it  Mould 
ow  capa- 
n  cannot 
ut  appre- 
Fhc  faith 
Breby  we 
posed  to 


THE  DOCTRINE  OP  TRAN8UB8TANTIATION.     235 

precede  the  sacramental  mandiication ;  but  more  properly  that  whereby  we 
believe  those  words  of  Christ,  '  this  is  n  y  body.'  For  in  this  iMystical  ciitint' 
by  the  wotulcrfui  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  we  do  invisibly  receive  the 
subslmice  of  Cliri.Hr.i  boJxj  and  blood,  as  mudi  as  if  wo  should  eat  and  drink 
thein  both  visibly.  It  remains  that  we  should  with  faith  and  humility  a.liniro 
tilts  hi>5li  and  sacred  mystery,  which  our  tongue  cannot  sufficiently  explain, 
nor  our  heart  conceive.  The  presence  ^f  Christ  in  tliis  mystery  is  not  opposed 
to  iiiatance  but  to  absence,  which  only  could  deprive  us  of  the  benetit  and 
fruition  of  the  object.  As  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  are  conveyed  by  this 
Bacrament  to  the  worthy  receiver,  so  they  aro  offered  by  it  to  all,  that  is  truly 
really,  and  substantially."— (See  Dr.  Cosin'a  History  of  Transubstanliation 
Anno.  1676,  pages  117,  55,  2,  44,  34,  et  alibi  passim.) 

What  says  the  Book  of  Cotnmon  Prayer,  sanctioned  by  Queen 
Elizabeth,  on  this  subject — 

"Grant  us  so  to  eat  the  flesh  of  thy  dear  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  drink 
his  blood,  that  our  sinful  bodies  may  bo  made  clean  by  his  body." 

And,  in  giving  the  sacrannent : — 

"The  body  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  was  given  for  thee,  preserve 
thy  body  and  soul  unto  everlasting  life.  The  blood  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
which  was  shed  for  thee,  preserve  thy  body  and  soul  unto  everlasting  life." 

Mr.  Pope.— Mr.  Blaguire,  in  several  of  his  arguments,  has 
taken  it  for  granted,  that  I  allowed  the  doctrine  of  tran.substan- 
tiation  to  be  revealed  in  the  sacred  volume.  I  need  scarcely 
remark,  that  I  have  made  no  such  concession.  Inasmuch  as  the 
mystery  of  the  Trinity  does  not  come  under  the  cognizance  of 
our  senses,  they  being  incapable  of  exercising  their  powers  upon 
the  nature  of  the  Deity,  no  parallel  can  be  instituted  between  it 
and  transubstanliation.  Strange  to  say,  my  friend  has  observed, 
that  I  have  become  a  Socinian.  My  letter  is  before  the  public 
containing  proofs  of  the  essential  Godhead  of  Christ.  I  fling 
from  me,  therefore,  such  a  charge — shall  I  say,  with  indignation. 

Mr.  Maguire  has  observed,  that  if  transubstantiation  be  a 
mystery,  its  being  opposed  to  the  evidence  of  our  senses  should 
not  stand  in  the  way  of  its  reception.  The  observation  which  I 
made  in  the  commencement  of  this  speech,  will  meet  this  posi- 
tion. Transubstantiation,  if  reveal«d,  would  indeed  be  a  mys- 
tery ;  but  I  beg  to  assert,  that  it  is  not  revealed  ;  it  is  opposed 
to  sense  and  reason,  and  is  repugnant  to  the  entire  tenour  of 
scripture. 

My  friend  has  observed,  that  the  senses  sometimes  contradict 
themselves,  and  instanced  the  cases  of  Joshua,  and  of  the  woman 
at  the  sepulchre,  who  supposed  that  the  angels  who  appeared  to 
them,  were  men.  The  onus  is  on  Mr.  Maguire  to  prove,  that 
the  angels  presented  themselves  clothed  with  all  the  effulgence 
of  eelestiu!  glory.  No— they  came  in  the  habit  and  fonn  of 
men  ;  and  the  senses  so  far  gave  a  correct  testimony. 

Mr.  Maguire  has  spoken  of  a  stick  appearing  crooked  in 


SS6 


THE    DOCTRINE    OP    TRANSUBSTANTIATIOIf. 


water.     I  reply  that  the  sense  of  touch  would  rectify  thnt  fala 
testimony,  us  that  sense  would  discover  (he  slick  to  he  straighi 
Mr.  Mii«r,ii,-o  has  justly  observed,  that  the  senses  convey  thei 
testimony  to  the  mind  and  judgment.     Thai  ttslimony,  I  beg  tt 
observe,  directly  refutes  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation.    Tht 
senses  bearing  witness  that  the  bread  is  bread,  and  the  wine  i» 
wine,  the  judgment  pronounces  correctly  that  the  bread  is  breau 
and  the  wine  is  wine.      Permit  me  also  to  add,  that  it  scarcely 
ever  happens,  that  all  the  senses  are  deceived  at  the  sun»e  time  ; 
one  sense  nmy  be  deceived,  but  that  is  soon  corrected  by  the 
exercise  of  some  other. 

Mt.  Mftguire  reminds  us,  that  "  faith  cometh  by  hearing." 
Faith  cometh  by  reading  too.  How  am  I  to  know,  that  the  words, 
"  this  is  my  body,"  are  in  the  scriptures,  if  I  do  not  exercise  my 
senses  ?  But  it\I  am  not  to  exercise  my  senses  upon  the 
elements,  perhaps  my  senses  altogether  deceive  me,  when  they 
inform  me  that  the  words,  ♦'  this  is  my  body,"  are  contained  in 
the  sacred  records  1  The  doctrines  of  the  Trinity  and  of  the 
Incarnation  are  above  sen?e.  Man  is  incompetent  to  discover 
the  modus  of  God's  existenrp,  or  to  explain  hoiv  the  Deity  took 
upon  him  human  flesh  ;  but  tb«  senses  of  the  wise  men  did  not 
deceive  them,  when  they  sav^  pji  infant  lying  in  the  stable  at 
Bethlehem. 

My  friend  has  rung  changes  on  the  priesthood  of  Melchise 
dech.  He  was  a  priest — but  I  have  shown  that  he  did  not  ofier 
up  bread  and  wine  to  God,  but  brought  it  forth  for  the  refresh- 
ment of  Mraham  and  his  followers  ; — his  blessing  Mraham 
marked  out  his  sacerdotal  character.  In  the  7th  chapter  of 
Hebrews,  Douay  Bible,  there  is  no  mention  nmde  of  Melchise- 
dech  having  broi>ght  out  bread  and  wine  ;  it  is  simply  said,  that 
"  he  blessed  Abraham." 

My  friend  informed  us,  that  he  thought  nothing  of  the  scrip- 
tures in  the  original  «ongues  ;  yet  he  has  told  us,  that  his  church 
will  allow  them  to  be  read  in  the  originals.  Must  every  old 
woman  and  every  child  apply  themselves  to  the  study  of  Greek 
and  Hebrew  1  Mr.  Maguire  has  observed,  that  the  Italian  Bible 
is  more  perfect  than  the  Vulgate.  The  Trent  doctors  ought  to 
be  much  obliged  to  him  for  this  discovery.  Bellarmine  indeed 
informs  us,  that  Ihe  Fathers  teach  every  where^  that  the  Latin  edi- 
tion of  the  gospel  is  to  be  railed  back  to  the  Greek  fountains,  and 
that  the  Latin  edition  of  the  Old  Testament  is  to  be  amended  hy 
the  Hebrew,  Some,  'tis  true,  asserted,  when  they  saw  the  Latin 
vuIgate  printed  between  the  Greek  and  Hebrew,  on  the  same 
page,  ihat  ihe  position  of  the  Latin  reserobJ^d  that  of  the  Saviour, 
when  he  was  crucified  between  two  thieves. — {Simon  Crit.  t.  V| 
lib.  2,  14.) 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 


237 


But  T  must  not  forget  that  Bcrcngnriuf*,  according  to  Mr. 
Maguire,  was  the  first  who  denied  the  doctrine  of  transubstntrti- 
ation.  Wo  shall  see  whether  this  assertion  is  correct.  My 
opponent  informs  us,  that  even  the  heretics  believed  in  the  doc- 
trine of  transubstuntiation.  I  go  further — I  imagine  that  tran- 
substantiation  is  of  heretical  origin,  and  1  now  trace  it  up  to 
Eutychcs.  In  the  second  Dialogue  of  Theodoret,  between  an 
orthodox  Christian,  under  the  name  of  Orthodoxus,  and  a  heretic, 
under  the  name  of  Eranistes  ;  the  latter  maintaining,  that  the 
humanity  of  Christ  was  changed  into  the  substance  of  the 
Divinity,  thus  illustrates  the  matter  : — 

"  As  (says  Eranistes)  the  symbols  of  the  Lord's  body  and  blood  are  one 
thinji  before  the  invocation  of  the  priest,  but  after  the  invocation,  are  changed 
and  become  another  thing,  so  the  body  of  our  Lord,  after  liis  ascension,  ia 
changed  intoUio  divine  substance." 

3uch  was  the  opinion  of  Eutyches  and  his  followers.  I  shall 
not  mutilate  the  passage  in  reply,though  I  admits  that  the  language 
in  the  latter  part  of  it  is  strong. 

"  Thou  art  (says  Orthodoxus)  caught  in  thine  own  net  ;  because  the  mys- 
tical symbols  after  consecration  do  not  pass  out  of  their  own  nature, 

FOR    THET    RKMAIN    IN    THEIR    FORMER   SUBSTANCE,    FIGURE,    AND    APPEAR- 

ANCE,and  may  be  seen  and  handled,  even  as  before  conset  ration  ;  but  they 
are  understood  to  be  what  they  become,  and  they  are  venerated  as  beingthose 
things,  which  tliey  are  believed  to  be.  Compare,  tlierefore,  the  image  with 
the  archetype,  and  you  will  perceive  the  resemblance,  for  the  type  must  needs 
be  similar  to  the  truth." — (Dial.2,  Open  vol.  iv,  p.  84,  85,  LuteL  Paris,  1642.) 

I  ask,  did  not  Theodoret  oppose  the  doctrine  of  transubstan- 
tiation,  when  he  calls  the  Sacrament  an  image  ?  He  lived  in 
the  fifth  century.  Again,  Pope  Gclasius,  as  you  have  seen,  also 
wrote  a  work,  which  Mr.  Maguire  asserts,  is  spurious,  against 
the  Eutychian  heresy,  which  seems  to  have  aimed  at  the  intro- 
duction of  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation. 

Did  not  Ephrem  of  Antioch,  about  the  middle  of  the  sixth 
century,  oppose  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation,  when  he 
says  : 

"  No  man  of  common  sense  will  assert  that  the  nature  of  things  palpable 
and  impalpable,  visible  and  invisible,  is  the  same — thus  the  bodt  of  Christ 

WHICH    IS    received    BT    THE    FAITHFUL,    DOES    NOT  DEPART  FROM    ITS  OWN 

SENSIBLE  SUBSTANCE,  though  by  virtuc  of  consecration  it  is  united  to  a  spir- 
itual grace  ;  and  thus  baptism,  though  a  spiritual  thing  itself,  yet  preserves 
the  water  which  is  the  property  of  its  sensible  substance  :  it  loses  not  what  it 
was  before." — Ephrem  Antioch.  Cont.  Eutych.  A  pud  Phol.  Cod.  229. 

Facundus,  in  the  6th  century,  says  : 

"  The  sacrament  of  adoption  may  be  called  adoption,  just  as  the  sacrament 
of  ihft  bo<iy  aiul  biood  of  Christ,  whuh  »«  ike  caiiseindtd  bread  and  wine,  we 
are  wont  to  call  bis  body  and  blood.  Act  indeed  thai  the  bread  is  properly  hi» 
btdij,  or  that  the  toine  is  properly  his  blood,  but  because  they  contain  the  mys- 
tery of  hia  body  and  blood  within  themselves  ;  hence  it  Mas  that  our  Lord 


238 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    rRAN8UB8TAISTIATIOrt. 


denominated  tho  consecrated  bread  and  wino  which  ho  dflivi-red  to  hio  A'ikU 
pics,  in  liJH  own  body  and  blood." — (Kacuiid.  Oci'enn.Concil.  Chalccd.Iib.  u, 
c  4,  oper.  p.  l-M.) 

Was  not  Facundus,  in  the  sixth  century,  opposed  to  tho 
doctrine  of  tiansubstanfiation'? 

Further — Ral)anua  Matirus,  archbishop  of  Montz,  ahout  the 
year  847,  reciting  tho  very  words  of  Paschasius  Hadbert,  of 
Corby,  in  which  he  broached  the  doctrine  of  transubstuntiation, 
has  this  remarkable  passage.  Before,  however,  I  read  the 
quotation,  permit  me  to  remark,  that  Bellarmine  and  Sirmondun 
allow,  that  Paschasius  was  the  lirst  who  wrote  a  regular  treatise 
upon  transub&tantiation.     Bellarmine  says, 

"This  author  wns  tho  first  who  had  seriously  and  copiously  written  con- 
cerning; the  »xuth  of  Christ's  body  and  blood  in  tho  Eucharist." — (Do  Scriptor 
Eccles.) 

Sirmondus  thus — 

"  He  so  first  explained  tho  genuine  sense  of  the  Catholic  church,  that  he 
opened  tho  way  to  the  rest,  who  afterwards  in  great  numbers  wrote  upon  the 
same  argument,"— (In  vita  Paschasii.) 

The  a-rchbishop  of  Mentz,  in  the  ninth  century,  writes, 

"  Sonic  (says  he)  of  late,  not  having  a  right  opinion  concerning  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  body  and  blood  of  our  Lord,  have  suid  that  this  is  the  body  and 
blood  of  our  Lord,  which  was  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  in  which  our 
Lord  suffered  upon  tho  cross  and  roso  from  the  dead  ;  wnicii  error  (saya 
he)  WE  HAVE  OPPOSED  WITH  ALL  OUR  MIGHT." — (Epist.ad  Ueiibaldum,  c.33.) 

Transubstantiation  was  also  opposed  by  Heribaldus,  Bishop 

of  Auxerres  in  France,  by  John  Scotus  Erigena,  (which  means 

an  Irishman)  and  Bertram  of  Corby.     Bertram  tells  us  in  his 

preface,  that 

"  They  who  according  to  their  several  opinions  talked  of  the  difficulties 
about  Christ's  body  and  blood,  were  divided  with  no  small  schism." 

My  friend  has  seen  that  Eutyches,  the  heretic,  believed  in 
transubstantiation,  and  that  the  doctrine  was  opposed  by  several 
writers,  withoiU  any  ecclesiastical  fulmination  having  been 
directed  against  thetn.  Even  the  second  council  of  Nice,  as 
has  been  already  observed,  declared,  as  one  reason  for  worship- 
ing the  image  of  Christ,  that  he  is  not  sensibly  present  on  earth, 
and  anathematized  all  who  asserted,  that  Christ  was  not  circum- 
scribed as  to  his  humanity.  Several  Roman  Catholic  writers 
virtually  admit  the  modern  origin  of  transubstantiation.  Scotus 
allows,  that  the  doctrine  was  not  always  considered  as  necessary 
to  be  believed,  but  that  the  necessity  of  believing  it  was  conse- 
quent to  the  declaration  of  the  church  made  in  the  coufiOil  of 
Lateran,  under  Pope  Innocent  III. — In  sent.  L.  4,  Dist 
11,  Q.  'X 


THE  DOCTRINE  OP  TRAN8UB8TANTIATIOW. 

Durandus  frankly  discovers  his  inclination, 


239 


tho 


"  To  havo  belicvwl  tho  rontrarv,  if  thn  church  hnrl  not  by  thnt  detcrmina* 
tion  obligod  men  to  behuvo  it."— In  sent.  L.  4,  Dist.  1 1,  U,  I,  N.  15. 

Tonstal,  Bishop  of  Durham,  also  admits,  that 

"  Before  tho  (l>urth  Latoran  counc  il,  mon  were  at  librrly  na  to  tfie  manner 
of  Christ's  presence  in  thu  aacrainont."— Do  Euciiar.  lib.  i,  p.  14G. 

Erasmus,  who  lived  and  died  in  the  Roman  church,  and  than 
whom  no  man  was  bettor  acquainted  with  the  ancient  Fathers, 
confesses  that  it  was 

•'  Late  befor*  the  church  defined  transtihstantiation,  unknown  to  the  oncienta 
both  i:r  ;\i(;  and  thiiiir."— 1  Kpist.  ad  Corinth,  c.  7,  Citanto  etium  Suhnorono, 
torn.  9,  tract  16,  p.  163. 

Alphonsus  a  Castro  says,  that 

"  Concerning  the  transubstantiation  of  the  bread  into  the  body  of  Christ, 
tliere  is  seldom  any  mention  in  tho  ancient  writers." — De  Hjeres.  lib.  8, 

In  connection  with  this  subject,  I  meet  the  strange  position  of 
my  friend  relative  to  the  Waldenses,  namely,  that  they  believed 
in  transubstantiation,  by  a  quotation  from  Milnefa  End  of  Con- 
troversy : 

"  It  is  incontestible,  and  carried  to  the  highest  degree  of  moral  evidence, 
that  all  Christians,  of  all  the  nations  of  the  world,  Greeks  as  well  as  Latins, 
Africans  as  well  as  Europeans,  except  Protestants,  and  a  handful  of  Vac- 
Dois  peasants,  have  in  all  ajjes  believed,  and  still  believe  in  the  Real  Presence 
and  Transubstantiation." — London,  1824,  6th  edit  p.  273. 

Here  Milner  distinctly  admits,  that  the  Vaudois  or  Waldenses 
did  not  believe  in  transubstantiation. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  their  Confession  of  Faith, 
which  was  read  publicly  before  Francis  I,  of  France  : 

"  We  believe,  that  the  holy  sacrament  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  table  is 
a  sacred  memorial  and  an  act  of  thanksgiving,  for  the  benefits  which  we  have 
received  by  the  death  of  Christ ;  and  that  it  ou^ht  to  be  celebrated  in  the 
assembly  of  the  saints,  in  faith  and  charity,  and  by  an  inward  experience  of 
Christ's  merits.  It  is  thus,  by  partaking  of  the  bread  and  wine,  we  have 
communion  with  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  as  we  read  in  the  holy 
scriptures." 

Again,  we  read  in  the  Confession  of  Faith  of  1120. — Leger's 
History,  p.  92. 

"  We  believe,  that  after  this  life  there  are  only  two  places,  one  lor  the  saved, 
which  is  called  Paradise,  and  one  for  the  damned,  which  is  called  Hell,  utterly 
denying  that  feigned  purgatory  of  Antichrist,  invented  in  opposition  to  truth." 

"  We  believe  that  the  sacroments  are  signs  or  the  visible  forms  of  holy 
things." 

Did  they  offer  masses  for  souls  in  purgatory,  when  they  did 
not  believe  in  its  existence?  I  have  referred  to  their  standard 
formularies  ;  and  any  one  who  wiii  examine  their  history,  as 
given  by  Mr.  Gillie,  will  find  additional  proofs  that  they  protested 
against  the  sacrifice  of  the  mass. 


240  THE    DOCTRINK    OF    TRANSUBSTANTiATION. 

Luther,  Mr.  Maguire  says,  is  on  his  side.  This  is  the  first 
time  in  which  I  have  heail,  that  consubstantiation  is  the  same 
with  transubstantiation.  I  confess,  I  am  somewhat  surprised, 
that  most  of  the  early  reformers  were  enabled  so  easily  to  throw 
off  in  loto  a  doctrine  which  so  closely  adheres  to  persons  brought 
up  in  the  pale  of  the  church  of  Rome.  I  do  not  justify  the  lan- 
guage which  Luther  employed  when  condemning  those  who 
wrote  against  his  principles.  Mr.  Maguire  has  stated,  that  it  is 
a  spiritual  body  which  is  offered  up  in  the  mass.  Does  this 
opinion  agree  with  the  council  of  Trent  ?  The  council  informs 
us  that — 

"  In  the  sacrifice  of  the  n  ass,  the  same  Christ  is  contained  and  unbloodily  im- 
molated, who  once  offered  himself  bloodily  on  the  cross."    Sees.  22.  ch.  2. 

Was  it  a  spiritual  body  that  suffered  on  Calvary  ?  I  deny 
that  the  devil  is  omnipresent.  His.  influence  is  extended  by  the 
agency  of  innumerable  spirits  who  are  under  his  control.  I  did 
not  circumscribe  the  presence  of  Christ.  I  believe,  that,  where 
two  or  three  meet  together  in  his  name.  He  is  in  the  midst  of 
them.  But,  though  he  be  present  through  the  universe  in  his 
divinity,  yet  the  heavens  will  receive  his  manhood  till  the  time 
of  the  restitution  of  all  things. — Acts,  iii,  21.  I  have  here  the 
book  of  Sir  Edwin  Sandys.  Mr.  Maguire  did  not  accept  my 
offer,  that  a  Protestant  and  a  Roman  Catholic  should  examine 
the  work.  Let  them  compare  mine  with  Mr.  Maguire's  edition, 
and  they  will  find  mine  to  be  the  original  volume. 

My  friend  has  talked  of  my  having  Trinity  college  at  my 
back  :  it  was  not  handsome  to  speak  is  this  style.  When  Mr. 
Maguire  expressed  a  wish  to  obtain  access  to  a  public  hbrary, 
I  requested  a  friend  to  introduce  him  at  Marsh's  library ;  and 
I  informed  Mr.  Maguire,  that  my  friend  was  ready  to  accom- 
pany him  thither.  Did  this  circumstance  look  as  if  I  wished  to 
take  any  unfair  advantage  of  Mr.  Maguire  1  The  passover,  my 
opponent  observes,  was  a  type  of  Christ.  The  Lamb  in  the 
passover  was  indeed  a  type  of  the  Saviour,  not  in  transub- 
stantiation, but  of  the  body  on  Calvary.  The  passover  was 
perhaps  typical  of  the  feast  of  the  eucharist,  which  God's  people 
celebrate  in  commemoration  of  their  dying,  risen,  and  glorified 
Redeemer. 


Mr.  Maguire. — I  have  caught  my  friend,  Mr.  Pope,  in  the 
act  of  using  garbled  quotations.  I  have  already  asserted  that 
he  took  his  quotations  obstelricanle  tnanu,  and  I  now  insist  that 
I  have  detected  him  in  makino'  a  false  nijotution=  Before  I 
shall  expose  either  his  disingenuity,  or,  what  I  rather  suspect, 
his  want  of  industry,  I  shall  for  a  moment  recur  to  the  work  as- 
cribed to  Gelasius,  and  give  you  the  reasons  which  are  assigned, 


THE   DOCTRINE    OF   TRANSUBSTANTIATIOIf. 


241 


to  prove  that  it  is  not  genuine.  Pope  Gelasius*s  work  against 
Eutyches,  is  described  by  Genadius,  lib.  de.  viris  illust.  cap.  14, 
as  "  Grande  et  pracLrum  volumen.^'  Now»  in  the  first  place, 
the  present  work  is  in  no  wise  deserving  of  such  a  character. 
Secondly,  in  his  Catholicorum  Testimonia  Magistrorum,  hb 
every  where  praises  the  Arians,  and  is  profoundly  silent  about 
the  orthodox  Fathers.  These  considerations  amount  to  a  strong 
suspicioii,  that  it  could  not  have  proceeded  from  the  pen  of  Pope 
Gelasius,  and  it  is  therefore  rationally  considered  as  the  produc- 
tion of  Gelasius  Cyzinicus. 

I  will  now  read  to  you  the  dialogue  of  Theodoret,  who  has 
been  introduced  as  opposed  to  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation : 
let  the  following  serve  as  a  preface.     He  says, 

"Christ  at  his  last  supper  showed  the  true  original  of  which  this  Paschal 
Lamb  was  a  type ;  opened  the  gates  of  the  holy  sacrament ;  and  gave  hU 
moat  precious  body  and  blood,  not  only  to  the  eleven  Apostles,  but  also  to  the 
traitor  Judas.  These  words,  "  He  shall  be  guilty  of  the  body  and  blood  of  the 
Lord,"  mean  this,  that  as  Judas  betrayed  him,  and  the  Jews  insulted  him,  so 
they  offer  him  a  very  great  affront  who  take  his  most  holy  body  with  unclean 
hands  and  put  it  into  a  defiled  mouthJ" — In  1  Cor.  cap.  11. 

There  is  not  any  thing  surely  there  contrary  to  the  doctrine 
of  transubstantiation.  He  proceeds  to  say,  in  his  second  dia- 
logue, immediately  after  the  words  quoted  by  Mr.  Pope— "The 
elements,  after  consecration,  are  to  be  adored."  But  Mr.  Pope 
took  good  care  to  foist  upon  us  the  word  venerate  for  the  word 
adore,  as  if  Theodoret  had  said,  the  elements  after  consecration 
are  to  bo  venerated,  whereas  he  expressly  says,  they  are  to  be 
adored.  Mr.  Pope,  in  his  version,  has  substituted  the  word 
"  venerated"  for  the  word  "  adored."  I  charge  hinrwith  a  griev- 
ous mangling  of  the  text.  Adored  is  the  word,  as  will  be  found 
by  a  reference  to  the  original.  If  Theodoret  denied  transub- 
stantiation, would  he  say  that  the  elements  of  bread  and  wine 
after  consecration  are  to  be  adored  1  Surely  h*e  would  not  tell 
us  to  adore  a  piece  of  bread  and  a  drop  of  wine.  Mr.  Pope 
therefore  should  consign  to  execration  the  author  by  whom  he 
was  misled,  for  I  am  unwilling  to  believe  that  he  would  himself 
so  distort  the  original,  and  seek  to  palm  upon  an  unsuspecting 
public  a  text  so  monstrously  garbled. 

Theodoret  in  his  dialogue,  introduces  Orthodoxus  (a  Catholic) 
and  Eranistes  (a  heretic)  disputing  upon  the  Eucharist.  Hav- 
ing previously  disputed  about  the  Eutychian  heresy,  concerning 
the  two  natures  of  Christ,  (the  Eutychians  contending  that  the 
humanity  was  absorbed  in  the  divinity,)  Eranistes  puts  the  fol- 

"  Eranistks,— How  do  you  call  these  (the  elements)  after  consecratioot 
Orthodozos,— TAi  Wy  and  blood  of  ChrUt. 

21 


1  ! 


942    THE  DOCTEINE  OF  TRAN8UB8TANTIATIOW. 

Er.— Do  you  believe  that  you  perceive  the  body  and  blood  of  ChriBt? 
Or.— I  do  believe  it. 

g^Ca^^o'^irrZ^^^^^^  who  understand  the  -ystery ,  for 

TK^^  would  not  have  us  regard  the  mlure  of  what  we  see,  but  as  the  namei 
of  the  elm  n  s  arr^^^^^^^  bo  to  apprehend  by  faith  the  change  wh.ch  is 
Jl  f,  Vh,.h,  hv  ,rrace  The  mystical  symbols  after  eonsocratioti  do  not 
Tnart  to  thciS^vKuKc.  InU  tW  are  Understood  to  be  the  things  trWc* 
ffc^JSrand  rthey  ar^  believed,  and  tluy  are  adored  as  be^ns  Ike  thxug, 
which  they  are  believed:^  .  ,  i   ^ 

Thus,  it  must  be  said,  that  Theodoret  urged  the  idolatrous 
adoration  of  mere  bread  and  wine,  or  that  he  beheved  and  taught 
the  doctrine  of  transubstantiatinn.  ,     ,     ,        j  ki««/ 

What  are  the  things  to  be  beheved  when  the  body  and  bloo. 
are  adored?     Is  it  to  be  believed  that  they  r^"^,'^'"  »^»^^,^^2** 
wine?     What  a  wonderful  effort  of  faith  truly!     But  Ortho- 
doxus  tells  us.  that  the  things  believed  are  to  be  "^^'"^f- 

The  Fathers  all  agree  in  the  doctrmo  of  transubstantiaUon, 
and  anathematize  all  those  who  controvert  that  doctrine.     VV  |th 
recrard  to  the  parallel  between  Transubstantiation  and  th6  Irin- 
ity°  my  friend  denies  its  existence,  but  I  call  upon  him  to  prove 
that  tfansubstantiatlon  is  not  a  mystery,  as   fheodoret  call^  it. 
He  denies  that  transubstantiation  is  founded  upon   .scripture. 
Christ,  the  eternal  Son  of  a  good  and  gracious  God,  rnade  a 
wonderful  promise  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  St.  John,  shall  we 
say,  after  reading  that  solemn  and  divine  promise,  that  he  lelt 
nothing  to  us  but  a  mere  bit  of  bread  and  wine !     Is  it  not  evi- 
dent,  that  he  intended  to  leave  with  uS  a  grand  and  noble  gitj 
worthy  of  the  Testator,  and  in  accordance  with  his  ommpoteiice? 
Yet,  if  we  are  led  by  the  Calvinistic  doctrines,  propounded  by 
Mr.  Pope,  we  must  believe  that  he  intended  only  to  bequeath  to 
^  ;  mere  bit  of  bread,  and  a  drop  wine  I    Would  that  b^  wor- 
thy  of  the  Deity?     Can  such  a  belief  be  reconciled  with  the 
facts  recorded  in  scripture?     There  we  find  that  he  raised  the 
expectations  of  his  disciples  to  the  highest  pitch,  and  that  many 
of  them  went  away  shocked  at  his  expres.sions.     He  did  no 
corr€  ;t  their  error,  if  such  it  were.     When  he  came  to  his  last 
supper,  what  did  he  say?     There,  while  solemnly  seated  wOh 
his  apostles,  he  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven,  he  took  bread  m  his 
hands,  blessed  it,  and  broke  it  saying,  "  Take  ye  and  eat- 
THIS  IS  MY  BODY."  •      ,      .  ^  ,     ■    u     u 

It  is  not  my  custom  to  lose  my  temper,  and  to  indulge  in  harsh 
and  angry  expressions-I  will  not  say,  that  I  fling  back  with 
indignation  any  of  the  charges  brought  forward  by  ^  opponent 
I  have  been  taught  to  exercise  a  self-control,  aad  I  know^^that 
out  Saviour  tells  us— "  Love  your  enemies  ;  "°  B"<>— " '"^"; 
that  hate  you ;  bless  them  that  curse  you,  and  pray  for  theni  that 
calumniate  you !     And  to  him  that  strikelh  thee  on  one  cheek. 


THE  DOCTRINE  OP  TRAN8UB8TANT1ATION. 


243 


riBtl 

tery;  lor 
lie  names 
which  is 
m  do  not 
igs  which 
I'ht  (/ti:tg'« 

olatrous 
i  taught 

id  blooi' 
sad  and 
;  Ortho- 

ntiation, 
.     With 
tie  Trin- 
lo  prove 
calls  it. 
cripture. 
,  made  a 
shall  we 
t  he  left 
not  evi- 
oble  gift 
potence? 
nded  by 
^ueath  to 
;  be  wor- 
with  the 
aised  the 
[lat  many 
I  did  not 
»  his  last 
ited  with 
id  in  his 
nd  eat— 

e  in  harsh 
)ack  with 
opponent, 
^now  that 


A    *r- 


ihi 


them  that 
ae  cheekf 


offer  also  the  other."  This  is  the  practical  part  of  Christianity. 
It  accords  not  with  the  suggestions  of  flesh  and  blood,  nor  with 
the  maxims  of  modern  gospel  liberty.  Ahne^a  teipsum  is  the 
precept  of  the  goiipel,  though  it  may  form  no  portion  of  Mr. 
Pope's  moral  creed,  By  my  forbearance  upon  this  occasion, 
I  shall  furnish  Mr.  Pope  with,  at  least,  one  instance  of  Christian 
humility.  I  may  here  remark,  that  one  of  the  newspapers  has, 
in  the  report  of  a  former  day's  discussion,  represented  me  as 
appropriating  to  myself,  that  which  I  quoted  as  the  language  of 
our  Saviour — "  Learn  of  me,  because  I  am  meek  and  humble 
of  heart." 

With  regard  to  the  senses,  my  friend  has  said,  that  they  can- 
not all  contradict  themselves.  But  a  portion  may,  and  I  rnude 
nn  exception  for  the  sense  of  hearing.  I  referred  in  support  of 
that  portion  to  St.  Paul — "  Faith  cometh  by  hearings  and  hear- 
ing by  the  words  of  Christ." — (Rom.  x,  17.)  Hearing  then  is 
the  only  sense  constituted  as  a  judge  of  mysteries.  But  I  ask, 
did  not  all  the  senses  contradict  themselves,  when  our  Saviour 
walked  upon  the  waters,  and  it  is  recorded  of  his  disciples — 
"  Putaverent  Phantasma  esse."  Did  not  the  senses  here  deceive 
the  Apostles,  as  they  did  others,  in  several  cases  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament ?  They  did  not  contradict  themselves  in  the  strict  sense 
of  the  Avord.  The  matters  which  they  related  were  not  founded 
on  fact,  but  they  related  what  appeared  to  themselves.  So  far 
their  relation  was  correct.  My  friend  says,  that  the  mistake 
into  which  the  sense  of  sig'ht  falls  as  to  the  stick  in  the  water, 
may  be  corrected  by  the  sense  of  touch.  But  if  one  sense  con- 
tradicts another  in  rebus  nalur  alibus^  how  much  more  likely  to 
do  so  in  things  of  a  supernatural  order? 

Hi3  asks  me  how  do  I  know  that  Christ  spoke  the  words, 
"  This  is  my  body" — which  he  has  unsuccessfully  endeavoured 
to  explain  away.  I  answer,  that  I  depend  here  upon  the  au- 
thority of  the  church  of  Christ.  Mr*  Pope  depends  on  the  trans- 
lators of  the  Bible  in  the  reign  of  James  1.  I  place  my  reliance 
upon  an  authority  to  which  our  divine  Redeemer  expressly  pro- 
mised infallibility.  Mr.  Pope  believes  in  no  church,  but  relies 
upon  his  own  private  judgment.  I  called  upon  him  to  show  how 
*  Protestant  could,  according  to  his  principles,  make  an  act  of 
faith.     Has  he  ever  answered  the  question  ? 

He  recurs  to  Melchisedech.  But  here  I  have  him  caught  in 
his  own  net,  as  in  the  instance  of  Theodoret.  He  says  that 
Melchisedech  made  no  offering — I  proved  that  he  made  an  offer- 
ing of  bread  and  wine.  St.  Jerome  maintains  the  same  opinion, 
and  St.  Paul  cviJcnily  uUudcs  to  it  when  he  spraks  oi  our 
Saviour  being  *'  a  priest  for  ever  according  to  the  order  of  Mel- 
chisedech."    Mr.  Pope  talks  of  my  admission,  that  there  is  no 


244 


THE  UOCT&INE  OF  TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 


prohibition  to  the  reading  of  the  scriptures  in  the  three  sacred 
languages,  Hebrew,  Greek,  and  Latin,  because  portions  of  scrip- 
lure  have  been  piiblished  in  each  of  them.  In  respect  to  the 
vulgar  tongues,  the  church  never  prohibited  the  reading  of  the 
sciptures  in  them.  She  restricted  the  right  where  she  though 
it  would  be  abused ;  she  restricted  it  in  order  to  prevent  the 
muhipHcation  of  heresies,  and  the  generation  of  sects,  such  as 
the  Anabaptists,  the  Muggletoriians,  and  hundreds  of  others,  who, 
like  a  swarm  of  locusts,  or  the  ten  plagues  of  Egypt,  infest  the 
country,  distract  the  community,  and  rend  asunder  the  Protes- 
tant churches.  It  was  to  guafd  against  such  evils  that  the 
Catholic  church  wisely  forbade  the  indiscriminate  reading  of  the 
scriptures.  Mr.  Pope  has  accused  our  translation  of  the  Bible 
as  being  filled  with  various  errors.  Yet  when  the  "saints"  tiavel 
through  the  country,  they  would  persuade  the  poor  people  that 
there  is  no  difference  between  our  Bible  and  theirs.  But  when 
they  come  to  speak  to  scholars  on  the  subject,  they  will  have  it 
that  thousands  of  errors  exist  in  our  Bible.  They  then  openly 
tell  rank  falsehoods  to  promote  their  cause — I  do  not  accuse 
Mr.  Pope  of  rank  falsehood.  But  is  it  not  evident  from  this, 
that  there  is  neither  honour  nor  veracity  amongst  the  generality 
of  the  "  saints  "?  He  says,  that  by  reason  of  the  admissions 
which  I  have  made,  I  would  be  called  to  an  account  if  an  inqui- 
sition existed  in  this  country ;  and  that  moreover  I  would  be 
excruciated  for  my  heterodoxy.  But  Protestants  are  in  general 
very  little  acquainted  with  our  religion.  They  have  throtigh 
their  ignorance  transformed  our  failli  into  an  hideous  caricature. 

He  says  that  the  Italian  version  was  admitted  by  me  to  be 
superior  to  the  Latin  Vulgate.  I  deny  the  assertion.  I  said, 
that  the  Italian  version  was  admitted  to  be  the  purest  copy  of  the 
Bible  extant — it  was  for  thai  reason  that  St.  Jerome,  as  he  ad- 
mits in  his  preface,  followed  the  Italian  version,  and  upon  it  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  Latin »Vulgate.  Where  is  the  contradic- 
tion now  ]  - 

Mr.  Pope  quoted  a  Catholic  writer  to  prove  that  Christ  was 
not  sensibly  present  in  the  sacrament.  I  never  said  that  Christ 
was  sensibly  present  in  the  sacrament.  Let  Mr.  Pope  remem- 
ber that  Scotus,  the  author  from  whom  he  quotes,  was  condem- 
ned by  the  Catholic  church  for  many  of  his  positions,  which  are 
far  from  being  deemed  orthodox.  As  to  Erasmus,  there  are 
some  of  his  opinions  not  very  orthodox,  though  he,  like  Henry 
VIII,  thought  it  safest  to  die  in  the  Catholic  church. — Like 
many  of  the  present  day,  who,  in  the  enjoyment  of  youth  and 
riches,  cast  ihcir  uiriaions  at  Popery,  and  yei  are  giuu,  vvuea 
their  end  jvpproaches,  to  "-eturn  to  the  mother  church. 

Mr.  Pope  introduces  Durandus.     It  is  true  he  hold  opinioiui 


:u 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  TRAN8UB8TANTIATION.  246 

contrary  to  those  ot'  the  church,  till  the  Jefinition  of  the  church 
was  declared.     Then  he  yielded  as  he  ought  to  the  authority  of 
the  Catliolic  9hurch,  as  the  illustrious  Fenelon  did  in  later  days. 
I  asserted  that  (he  first  of  the  Waldenses  prcserv«d  the  sacrifice 
of  the  mass.     But  their  followers  changed  their  principles,  as 
those  of  Luther  and  Calvin  did  ;  the^Lutherans  preaching  one 
doctrine  and  the  Calvinists  another.     Here,  for  instance,  Mr. 
Pope  admits  only  eighteen  out  of  the  tkirly-nine  articles  of  the 
church  of  England— others  will  be  found  to  deny  them  alto- 
gether, and  more  will  reject  the  Anthanasian  creed.     Such  are 
the  multiplied  gradations  produced  by  evangelical  liberty  and 
private  judgment.     It  is  found  necessary  by  Mr.  Pope  to  con- 
nect  himself  with  with  the  Waldenses  (perhaps  the  maddest  of 
all  heretics.)     I  woufd  beg  leave  to  ask  him,  had  the  Walden- 
ses a  church,  a  ministry,  a  liturgy,  or  any  other  mark  of  the  true 
church  of  Christ,  or  indeed  of  any  church  at  all,  and  if  not,  from 
whom  did  he  receive  the  scriptures?     I  must  here  remark,  that 
his  obtrusive  connexion  with  the  Waldenses  cannot  add  respect- 
abdity  to  his  origin.     The  Waldenses  were  one  rotten  branch 
lopped  from  the  parent  trunk  by  the  Catholic  church.     I  regret 
extriemely  I  did  not  bring  the  ecclesiastical  tree  along  with  me. 

[Here  Mr.  Pope  handed  to  Mr.  Magu' -e  Dr.  JMilner'a  "End  of  Controversy" 
containing  the  ecclesiastical  tree.] 

Oh !  I  perceive,  gentlemen,  to  my  great  surprise,  that  this 
tree,  instead  of  exhibiting  a  liaked  trunk,  is  weighed  down  by 
those  brancUies  which  I  thought  had  been  cut  off,  but  which 
seem  determined  to  cling  with  desperation  to  that  parent  stock 
upon  which  alone  their  vitality  depends,  but  from  which  they  can 
never  moue  receive  sap  or  nutriment,  by  nfeans  of  that  moral 
separation  which  originated  with  themselves.  Here  are  Cerinthus, 
Arius,  Montanus,  ApoHinaris,  Manicheus,  Eutyches,  Pehigius, 
Socinus,  PIuss,  WicklifTe,  Waldo,  Luther,  Cranmer,  struggling 
to  connect  themselves  with  the  Catholic. church,  and  claiming, 
upon  some  occasions,  a  sympathetic  relationship  with  each  other. 
How,  now,  Mr.  Pope,  will  you  or  the  present  Protestant  church 
be  able  to  stitch  yourselves  to  those  vanous  heretics  ?  Were 
they,  I  demand,  or  were  they  no.,  nwre  different  from  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  presenl^eformers  than  tl.v^  were  from  the  Catholic 
church  ;  and  would  not  the  ancient  heretics  anathematize  Mr. 
Pope  and  his  doctrines  as  jealously  as  the  Catholic  church 
herself? 

Before  I  conclude,  I  will  give  you  a  few  additional  quotations 
from  the  Fathers,  touching  the  faith  of  the  primitive  church. 
»-'t,  s^ynl  o{  Aiexai.dria,  commenting  on  John,  lorn,  iv,  p.  252, 
after  quoting  the  words  of  St.  John,  "  I  am  the  living  bread  thai 
came  down  Irom  heaven," — (vi,  51.) 
■  21* 


246 


THE    DOCTRINE    OP    TRANSUBSTANTIATIOIf. 


"The  manna  was  the  type,  the  shadow,  and  the  ima£;e.  'I  am  the  living 
bread,  if  any  one  shall  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever.'  They  that 
eat  of  the  manna  are  dead,  because  it  gave  not  life;  he  that  eats  this  bread, 
that  is  me,  or  my  flesh,  shall  live  for  ever.  Our  Lord  Jesus,  by  his  own  flesh, 
gives  life  to  us,  and  his  blood  is  not  that  of  any  common  man,  but  the  natural 
blood  of  life  itself.  '  For  he  that  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood  abideth 
in  me  and  I  in  him.' — (John,  vi,  56.)  As  he  that  joins  wax  to  wax  forms  of 
them  one  body,  so  it  seems  to  me,  he  that  eats  the  flesh  of  our  Saviour,  and 
diinks  his  precious  blood,  as  himself  says,  becomes  one  with  him.  Let  these 
verbose  and  absurd  men  tell  us  with  whose  body  the  sheep  of  the  church  are 
fed,  or  from  what  springs  her  children  are  refreshed.  For  if  the  body  of  God 
is  delivered,  thus  God  is  the  true  God,  Christ  the  Lord,  not  a  mere  man,  nor 
an  angel,  as  some  pretend.  And  if  it  be  the  blood  of  God,  the  cup  of  God, 
this  God  is  not  purely  God,  one  of  the  adorable  Trinity,  the  Son  of  Goo  but 
the  Word  ofGnii  made  man.  But  if  the  body  of  Christ  be  our  food,  and  the 
blood  of  Chnai  '>ui  drink,  and  this  Christ  be  a  mere  man,  how  is  eternal  life 
promised  to  those  who  approach  the  holy  table  ?  And  how  again  shall  this 
body  be  divided  here,  and  in  ma'ny  places,  and  not  be  diminished  ?  A  mere 
body  cannot  impart  life  to  those  who  receive  it.  "Wherefore  let  us  receive  the 
body  of  life  itself;  that  life  which  for  us  has  dwelt  in  our  body :  and  let  us 
drink  his  sacred  blood  for  the  remission  of  our  sins,  and  so  parJake  of  that 
immortality  which  is  in  him ;  believing  Christ  to  be  the  priest  and  the  victim, 
him  that  offers,  and  he  that  is  offered." 

St.  John  Chrysostiom,  Hem.  ii,  ad  Pop.  Antioch,  I.  i,  p.  37 — 

"Elias  left  his  garment  to  his  disciple :  but  the  Son  of  God  loft  us  his  own 
flesh.  The  prophet,  indeed,  threw  off"  his  covering,  but  Christ  ascending, 
took  with  him  his  body  and  left  it  also  for  us.  Let  us  not  therefore  repine, 
nor  fear  any  difficulties,  for  be  who  refused  not  to  shed  his  blood  for  all,  and 
communicated  to  us  his  body  and  blood,  what  will  he  not  do  for  our  salvation  ?" 

And,  Horn,  ii,  in  cap.  14.  Matt,  i,  7. — 

"Let  us  then  touch  the  hem  of  his  garment,  or  rather  let  us,  if  we  be  so 
disposed,  possess  him  entire,  for  his  body  now  lies  before  us,  not  to  be  touched 
only,  but  to  be  eaten  and  to  satiate  us.  And  if  they  who  touched  his  garment 
drew  so  much  virtue  from  it,  how  much  more  shall  we  draw  who  possess  him 
whole  ?  When,  therefore,  thou  seest  the  priest  presenting  the  body  to  thee, 
think  not  that  it  is  his  hand,  but  the  hand  of  Christ  that  is  stretched  towards 
thee." 

So;  gentlemen,  that  objection  of  Mr.  Pope  is  here   fully 

answered,  viz, — that  the  priest  made  his  God — for  here  St. 

Chrysostom  declares,  that  the  action  is  not  performed  by  man, 

but  by  Christ  himself— which  agrees  with  St.  Cyril,  that  Christ 

is  both  the  priest  and  the  victim. 

Mr.  Pope. — My  friend  hasdrawn  a  strange  distinction  between 
outward  appearances  and  species.  The  schoolmen,  borrowing 
from  Aristotle,  introduced  a  curious  fancy ;  they  supposed,  that 
the  universe  consisted  of  a  mass  of  matter,  invested  by  certain 
forms  and  qualities  which  possess  a  real  and  substantial  being. 
This  was  a  very  fortunate  discovery  for  the  school  divines  ;  it 
served  to  explain  the  bodily  presence  of  Christ  in  the  sacrament; 
the  substance  of  the  bread  and  wine,  said  they,  is  converted  into 
his  body  and  blood  ;  but  the  absolute  accidents,  the  substantial 


THE    DOCTRINE    OP    TRAN8UB8TANTIATION. 


247 

'  forms  of  both  remain  as  before  ;  hence  the  term  transubstuntia- 
tton.  Now  surely  it  is  most  ridiculous  to  assert,  that  that  which 
has  all  the  properties  of  bread,  should  not  be  bread ;  and  that 
that  which  has  none  of  the  properties  of  flesh,  should  be  flesh. 
I  am  not  quite  so  certain  that  the  gravy  is  the  blood  of  the 
animal ;  however,  I  congratulate  Mr,  Maguire  upon  the  strict 
observance,  of  the  washing  of  feet  in  the  church  of  Rome.  Upon 
a  certain  day,  I  am  informed  that  a  golden  ewer  is  prepared,  and 
the  Pope  washes  the  feet  of  some  mendicants.  I  wish  to  know, 
does  Mr.  Maguire  follow  the  example  of  his  holiness  at  Rome? 
My  friend  observes,  that  Christ  can  extricate  himself  from  the 
elements,  if  likely  to  corrupt.  Let  us  examine  the  Roman 
Missal  upon  this  head. 

"  If  through  negligence  any  part  of  the  blood  of  Christ  should  fall  upon  the 
ground  or  upon  the  table,  let  it  be  licked  up,  and  let  the  place  be  suniciently 
scraped,  and  the  scrapings  burned,  but  let  the  ashes  be  buried  in  holy  grouna. 
But  if  it  should  full  upon  the  stone  of  the  altar,  let  the  priest  drink  up  the  drop, 
and  let  the  place  be  well  washed,  and  the  washing  tlirown  into  hoiy  gr»und. 
If  the  drop  should  reach  the  first,  second,  and  third  linen-cloth,  let  the  cloths 
be  three  times  washed  where  the  drop  fell,  the  chalice  having;  been  placed 
under,  and  let  the  water  of  ablution  be  thrown  into  holy  ground.  But  if  it 
should  fall  only  on  the  sacerdotal  vestments  themselves,  they  ought  in  the 
same  manner  be  washed,  and  the  washing  thrown  into  holy  ground.  If  it 
should  fall  upon  the  cloth  or  the  carpet  placed  underneath  the  feet,  let  it  be 
well  washed  as  before.  If  it  should  happen,  that  all  the  blood  should  be 
poured  forth  after  consecration,  if  indeed  any,  even  a  little,  shall  remain,  let 
that  be  taken,  and  let  that  which  has  been  mentioned  be  done  with  the 
remainder  of  the  blood.  But  if  none  shall  remain,  let  the  priest  place  wine 
in  the  chalice  again,  and  let  him  consecrate  it  from  that  place  'likewise  after 
supper;'  the  oblation,  however,  of  the  chalice  having  been  made  as  before. 
If  the  priest  should  disgorge  the  eucharist,  if  the  s[/ecies  should  appear  entire, 
let  them  be  reverently  taken,  if  nausea  does  not  prevent;  in  that  case,  let 
the  consecrated  species  be  cautiously  separated,  and  laid  up  in  some  secret 

Elace,  until  they  become  corrupted  ;  and  afterwards  let  them  be  thrown  into 
oly  ground.  But  if  the  species  do  not  appear,  let  that  be  burned  which  has 
been  disgorged,  and  the  ashes  thrown  info  holy  ground.  If  the  consecrated 
host,  or  any  part  of  it,  fall  upon  the  ground,  let  it  be  reverently  taken  up,  and 
the  place  where  it  fell,  cleansed,  and  a  little  scraped,  and  let  the  dust,  or 
scrapings  of  that  nature,  be  thrown  into  holy  ground.  If  it  should  fall  with- 
out the  corporal  upon  the  napkin  or  in  any  manner  upon  any  cloth,  let  the 
napkin  or  cloth  be  carefully  washed,  and  let  the  washing  itself  be  poured  out 
upon  holy  ground." — De  defect,  circ.  Miss.  occ.  Miss.  Rom.  1922,  Dubl. 

Pardon  me  for  having  read  so  much,  and  excuse  me  for  not 
reading  the  whole.  I  wonder,  why  such  a  process  should  be 
enjoined,  if  the  Saviour's  body  is  supposed  not  to  ba  present 
after  the  decomposition  of  the  elements  I 

I  have  already  proved,  that  the  difficulty  of  convincing  the 
Socinian,  is  greater  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Maguire  than  on  mine. 

by  the  Socinian,  while  my  friend  would  refer  him  to  the  universal 
consent  of  mankind.     Now  we  have  shown,  that  Arianism  at  one 


848  THE    DOCTRINE    OF    TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

period  prevailed  in  the  church  of  Rome ;  the  Socinian  wiiC 
therefore,  reply,  that  he  too  has  tradition  on  his  side ;  he  will 
therefore  wish  Mr.  Maguire  good  morning,  when  he  introduces 
the  mfallibility  and  authority  of  his  church.     If  my  friend's 
quotations  from  Protestant  bishops  be  correct,  I  can  only  say, 
that  they  were  not  true  to  their  principles,  for  the  articles  of  the 
established  church,  emphatically  assert,  that  the  elements  should 
not  be  adored.     We  are  told,  that  there  is  a  difference  between 
a  mystery  and  a  miracle.     Let  the  opinion  go  forth,  and  stand 
as  a  ruled  case,  that  there  is  no  miracle  in  transubstantiation. 
Some  of  the  Fathers,  I  allow,  used  strong  expressions  respect- 
ing the  eucharist.     If  Theodoret  believed  in  transubstantiation, 
he  could  not  have  met,  in  the  way  in  '..hich  he  does,  the  argu- 
ment of  Eutyches.     He  spoke  of  a  moral,  but  not  a  physical 
change,  and  conceived  that  the  moral  change,  which,  he  believed, 
took  place,  entitled  the  elements  to  respect  and  veneration. 
Mr.  Maguire  asks,  did  Christ  leave  behind  him  nothing  but 
bread  and  wine  ?     Yes ;  he  has  bequeathed  to  his  people  the 
records  of  mspiration,  which  bear  witness  to  hJs  glorious  work 
on  Calvary,  when  he. bowed  his  head  and  gave  up  the  ghost.     I 
asked  Mr.  Maguire,  how  he  knew  that  the  words,  "  this  is  my 
body,"  are  to  be  found  in  the  Bible.     I  am  told,  by  the  authority 
of  his  church.     Now,  the  examination  of  the  proofs  of  that 
authority,  demands  the  exercise  of  sense  ;  and  if  so,  why  should 
not  the  same  exercise  of  sense  be  admitted  upon  transubstantia- 
tion 1     I  employed  strong  language,  'tis  true,  in  refutation  of  the 
charge  which  Mr.  Maguire  brought  against  me— but  believe  me, 
I  did  not  speak  under  the  impulse  of  passion.     Mr.  Maguire 
has  directed  me  to  himself  as  an  example  of  humility.     I  appeal 
to  the  present  meeting,  whether  we  have  not  had  a  singular 
exhibition  of  effrontery  on  his  part,  in  defiance  of  common  sense 
and  rational  argumentation  ?     My  friend  has  referred  us  to  the 
instance  of  the  Saviour  having  been  taken  for  a  spirit ;  but  he 
should  remember,  that  at  the  moment  the  Apostles  did  not  dis- 
tinctly see  him  ;  but  as  soon  as  they  heard  his  voice,  they  cried 
out,  "it  is  the  Lord."     As  to  an  act  of  faith  being  made  by  a 
Protestant,  I  shall  not  go  over  the  same  ground  so  often  travelled 
before.     Mr.  Maguire  observes,  that  St.  Paul  applies  the  term 
priest  to  Melchisedech :  but  this  circumstance  does  not  prove 
the  bread  and  wine  to  have  been  a  sacrifice.     The  truth  of  this 
observation  can  be  seen,  as  I  have  already  said,  by  cor  suiting 
the  Old  Testament.     I  called  upon  Mr.  Maguire  to  prove,  that 
the  term  teQsvg,  a  sacrificing  priest,  was  ever  applied  to  the  min- 
isters of  Christ  in  the  new  dianp.nsntinn  •  h^  iioo  „^« *  4U„* 

_  r 5    ••••  jji«CT    iivii    iiit;i    iiiui 

question.     I  again  assert,  that  there  is  no  tegevg  on  earth,  pos- 
sessing any  authority  under  the  Christian  dispensation.     The 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    TRANSUBSTANTI ATION.         249 

priesthood  of  Christ  is  unchangeabh',  and  therefore  not  to  be 
transferred  ;  thai  of  the  Jews  was  changeable,  because  they  were 
subject  to  death.  The  priesthood  is  now  concentrated  in  him, 
who  sits  for  ever  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  in  the  Hea- 
vens.  My  friend  has  remarked,  that  Protestants  assert,  that 
there  is  no  difference  between  the  Roman  Catholic  and  Protes- 
tant Bible  ;  the  Douay  version,  I  admit,  though  corrupted,  still 
retains  fundamental  truths.  You  shall  hear  Dr.  Doyle's  opinion 
of  the  Protestant  translation  : — 

"Q..  Do  you  consider  the  authorized  translation  of  the  church  of  England 
as  of  a  sufficiently  perverse  auality,  to  merit  the  description,  (given  in  the 
encyclical  letter  of  the  Pope,  dated  Home,  May  3,  182 1,— that  by  a  perverse 
interpretation,  the  gospel  of  Christ  may  be  turned  into  a  human  gospel,  or 
what  is  worse,  into  the  gospel  of  the  devil  ?) 

"A.  As  I  said  before,  God  forbid  I  should  so  consider  it;  for  though  it  has 
many  errors,  I  consider  it  one  oj"  the  noblest  translations  that  ever  has  been  pro- 
duced; this,  I  say,  while  lookmg  upon  it,  as  abounding  with  inaccuracies, 
and  having  many  errors."—^/);),  to  Report  for  Com.  on  Education  in  Ireland, 
p.  791. 

In  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Doyle,  we  perceive,  that  the  authorized 
version  is  one  of  the  noblest  translations  that  ever  has  been  pro- 
duced. I  still  insist,  that,  in  several  instances,  the  translations 
in  the  authorized  version,  regarded  by  Ward  as  erroneous,  have 
been  adopted  by  Dr.  Murray,  in  his  edition  of  the  Douay  Bible 
lately  published.  (See  Hamilton's  Letters  to  the  Roman 
Catholic  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  on  the  State  of  the  present 
English  R.  C.  Bible.) 

Mr.  Maguire  persists  in  saying,  that  the  Waldenses  believed 
in  transubstantiation.  In  refutation  of  the  assertion,  I  have 
read  to  you  extracts  from  their  creeds,  and  a  passage  from  Dr. 
Milner's  End  of  Controversy.  You  have  heard  much  of  the 
Apostolic  tree  in  Dr.  Milner.  You  will  find,  upon  examination, 
however,  that  the  mention  of  some  Popes  is  altogether  omitted. 
To  change  the  metaphor — I  should  like  to  know,  when  the  links 
were  broken  in  the  ApostoUc  chain,  for  instance,  at  the  time  of 
the  council  of  Constance,  by  what  process  the  spiritual  Vulcan 
was  able  to  join  them  together  again  ?  My  friend  has  talked  of 
the  Waldenses  being  heretics.  I  have  already  referred  you  to 
the  commendation  of  Lewis  XII,  and  the  report  of  his  commis- 
sioners, which  prove  that  the  Waldenses  held  the  truths  of  the 
blessed  gospel.  As  to  Mr.  Maguire's  quotation  from  Luther,  J 
can  prove  that  that  which  Mr.  Maguire  says,  was  a  literal  con- 
versation with  the  devil,  is  merely  figurative.  Sagittarius  proves, 
that  Justus  Jona^',  Luther's  colleague,  who  translated  this  piece 

of  T.iithpr'a    ivi-itinrpsa  inf'^  T.otin     1"fV  /-viit  i->nr».»  %irr\t 

the  following  passage : 

"Jlfeo  corde,  multas  enim  noctcs  mihi  acerbos  i 


«»   Mirr\**riA.% 


250 


THE    DOCTRINE    OP    TRAN8UB3TANTFATIOir. 


Which  ought  immediately  to  follow  the  first  sentence-- 
"Satan  mecum  ccepit  cjusmodi  disputationem." 
So  that  in  English  the  translation  should  be : 
"  Satan  be^an  with  me  in  my  heart  the  following  disputation." 

As  to  the  quotations  from  the  works  of  other  reformers,  which 
Mr.  Maguire  adduced,  the  places  where  they  may  be  found,  not 
having  been  stated  by  him,  I  may  truly  say  that  they  are  so 
absurd  as  to  carry  their  own  refutation  upon  their  very  face. 

With  respect  to  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation  :  I  have 
shown  that  our  Saviour  did  not  always  speak  literally — that  he 
frequently  employed  figurative  language — that  there  is  a  figure 
in  the  very  context — that  the  Syriac  language  possesses  no  word 
meaning  to  signify,  and  that  therefore  our  Lord  was  under  the 
necessity  of  using  the  auxiliary  verb.  I  observed  that,  if  tran- 
substantiation be  true,  we  can  have  no  proof  of  the  resurrection 
of  Christ — that  it  destroys  the  nature  of  a  sacrament,  and  con- 
tradicts the  scripture  which  asserts,  that  the  body  of  Christ  shall 
not  see  corruption.  I  have  appealed  to  the  Fathers  ;  let  our 
quotations  be  confronted.  There  is  a  suspicion  that  the  Fathers 
have  been  corrupted  by  the  church  of  Rome ;  but  the  Protes- 
tants possess  no  index  expurgatorius.  I  would  ask,  what  is  the 
use  of  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation  ?  Can  the  body  and 
blood  of  Christ,  literally  received  into  the  body,  benefit  tb  3  soul? 
Christ  suffered  in  his  body  on  the  cross,  and  in  that  respect  his 
flesh  has  profited,  from  its  union  with  the  Godhead.  But  did  I 
submit  to  be  a  cannibal,  I  should  yet  have  to  learn,  by  what 
process  an  immaterial  spirit  can  be  benefited  by  a  material  sub- 
stance. I  appeal  to  your  judgments  ;  which  is  most  in  accord- 
ance with  common  sense,  reason,  scripture,  and  the  character  of 
God, — the  doctrine  which  holds  that  a  man  eats  his  Redeemer, 
or  that  which  teaches,  that  the  soul  is  fed,  not  by  eating  the 
symbols  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  but  by  the  truths  con- 
tained in  the  word  of  God  1  If  the  early  Christians  beheved 
such  a  doctrine,  I  ask,  would  it  not  have  been  brought  forward 
as  a  charge  against  them  by  anti-Christian  writers? — (Iren. 
Fragm.  ap.  CEcum.  in  1  Pet.  ii,  12.)  Yet  such  a  charge  was 
never  made. 

My  friend  has  accused  me  of  not  being  under  the  influence 
of  moral  principle.  Let  our  lives  be  contrasted,  and  then  will 
it  be  seen  which  of  the  two  is  most  influenced  by  Christian  prin- 
ciple. If  Mr.  Maguire  would  read  the  works  of  Luther,  he 
would  find,  that  although  Lutner  would  lay  no  other  foundation 
tnan  that  which  has  been  laid,  which  is  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord, 
yet  he  delighted  to  erect  upon  that  basis  such  a  moral  edifice  as 
should  be  to  the  praise  and  the  glory  of  the  most  high  God.     I 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  TRANSUBSTANTIATION.    251 

maintain  that  in  tlio  New  Testament  »«j«vf  is  never  applied  to 
Christian  ministers  ;  and  I  argue  against  the  Roman  Catholic 
priesthood  as  St.  Paul  argued  against  that  of  the  Jews. — Ueb.  x. 

"  Tho  law  having  a  shadow  of  the  good  things  to  come,  not  the  very  image 
of  the  things,  by  the  self-same  sacrifices,  whicn  they  offer  continually  every 
year,  can  never  make  the  comers  thereunto  perfect.  Because  tho  worshippers 
once  cleansed  sitould  have  no  conscience  of  sin  any  longer.  But  in  them 
there  is  made  a  commemorntion  of  sins  every  year;  for  it  is  impossible  that 
with  the  blood  of  oxen  and  goats  sin  should  be  taken  away." 

Again, 

"And  every  priest,  indeed,  standeth  daily  ministering  and  often  ofler- 
in"  the  same  sacrifices  wiiich  can  never  take  away  sins;  but  this  man 
ofu^ring  one  sacrifice  for  sins,  for  ever  sitteth  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  from 
henceforth  expecting  until  his  enemies  be  mado  his  footstool,  for  by  one  obla- 
tion he  hath  perfected  for  ever  them  that  are  janctified.  And  the  lioly  Ghost 
also  doth  testify  this  to  us,  for  after  that  he  said,  '  this  is  the  Testament  which 
I  will  make  unto  them  after  those  days,  saith  the  Lord,  1  will  give  my  lawa 
in  their  hearts,  and  on  their  minds  will  I  write  them,  and  their  pins  and  ini- 
quities I  will  remember  no  more.  Now,  when  tliere  is  a  remission  of  theso, 
there  is  no  morb  an  oblation  for  bin." 

In  the  same  manner  I  argue,  that  the  daring  repetition  of  the 
sacrifice  of  Christ  implies,  that  the  great  atonement  on  the  cross 
was  not  all-sufficient — this  is  an  important  suhject.  St.  Paul 
plainly  observes,  that  in  the  repetition  of  the  Jewish  sacrifices 
there  was  a  public  acknowledgment  made  that  sin  remained 
unpardoned.  The  Jewish  priests  ofliered  often  the  same  sacri- 
fices, which  can  never  take  away  sin.  The  Roman  Catholic 
priesthood,  in  the  daring  attempt  to  offer  a  sacrifice,  first  pro- 
claim the  sacrifice  of  Christ  as  insufficient ;  and  secondly, 
acknowledge  their  own  as  insufficient,  by  repeating  it.  Mark 
the  contrast — 

*|The  Priest  stood  daily  ministering,  and  often  oiTering  the  same  saonfice.", 
which  can  never  take  away  sin :  but  this  man  offering  one  sacrifice  for  sins 
for  ever  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  from  henceforth  expecting,  until  his 
enemies  be  made  his  footstool." 

Why  does  the  Saviour  not  repeat  his  sacrifice?  Because  "by 
ONE  oblation  he  hath  perfected  for  ever  them  that  are  sanctified." 
Wherefore,  after  the  announcement  of  the  new  covenant  tho 
Apostle  adds : 

"  Where  there  is  a  remission  of  these,  THERE  IS  NO  MORE  AN 
OBLATION  FOR  SIN." 

The  Church  of  Rome  must  hold  that  the  remission  is  either 
perfect  or  imperfect.  The  latter  I  bring  in  direct  opposition  to 
the  sacred  scriptures, 

"  Their  sins  and  iniquities  I  will  remember  no  more.''^ 

Again,  it  is  written, 

"Nor  yel  that  he  should  offer  himself  q/Ken,  as  the  high  priest  entereth  into 
the  holiest  every  year  with  the  blood  of  others ;  for  then  he  ought  to  have 


262 


THE    WANT    or    UNITT    Or 


•uflfered  often  from  tlie  beginning  of  the  world  ;  but  now  onck  at  the  end 
of  ages,  ho  hath  appeared  for  tho  destruction  of  sin  b^  the  sacritiee  of  hinist'lf; 
and  as  it  ia  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,  and  after  that  the  judjiment,  so 
also  Christ  was  oflured  oncb  to  exhaust  the  sins  of  many."— (lleb.  ix,  24.) 

There  are  other  passages  to  the  same  effect,  which  show  that 
there  is  but  one  priest,  Christ  Jesus,  God  over  all,  blessed  for 
ever.  Therefore  they  who  pretend  to  offer  sacrifice,  intrude 
upon  hia  ofiice,  and  attempt  to  rob  him  of  his  priesthood.  But 
he  remains  eternally  and  immutably  the  great  High  Priest  of  his 
people. 


Sixth  Day — ^Wednesday,  April  25, 


SUBJECT. — "  The  Protestant  Churches  do  not  profess  that 
Unity  which  forms  the  Distinctive  Mark  of  the  True  Church 
of  Christ:' 

Admiral  Oliver  and  Thomas  Wyse,  Esq.,  in  the  Chair. 

Mr.  Maguire  rose,  and  called  upon  Mr.  Pope,  for  proofs  of 
the  existence  of  that  unity  in  the  Protestant  churches,  which 
forms  the  distinctive  mark  of  the  true  church  of  Christ. 

Mr.  Pope  rose,  and  said — Gentlemen,  I  shall  preface  my 
observations  this  day,  with  the  following  rennrks :  If  I  yester- 
day spoke  in  a  manner  apparently  bordering  upon  warmth,  I  beg 
to  assure  you,  that  it  arose  from  excessive  bodily  exhaustion, 
which  obliged  me,  in  order  to  give  utterance  to  my  thoughts, 
unduly  to  strain  and  exert  my  physical  powers. 

Mr.  Maguire  has  called  upon  me  for  proofs  of  that  unity 
which  he  asserts  to  be  a  distinctive  mark  of  the  true  church.  I 
admit  that  no  single  Protestant  communion  constitutes  of  itself 
the  church  of  Christ,  but  that  the  members  of  the  Saviour's 
mystical  body  are  scattered  through  the  various  communities  of 
profes&ing  Christians.  This,  my  opinion  of  the  meaning  of  "  the 
the  church  of  Christ,"  coincides  with  authorities  which  n^y  friend 
esteems.     St.  Augustin  says  of  the  church, 

"That  house  consists  in  vessels  of  gold  and  silver,  in  precious  stones,  and 
incorruptible  wood ;  and  it  is  to  that  St.  Paul  says,  '  bear  with  one  another  in 
love,  keeping  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace;'  and  again,  'the 
tei.  lie  of  God  is  holy,  which  temple  ye  are.'    It  consists  in  the  gwd,  in  the 

j—--y 7    —      -— -J ~i —I ,    J ,..^-    ■rj'C!      UJ      a 

spintual  unity  by  the  communion  of  the  same  sacraments,  whether  they  know 
one  another  by  sight  or  whether  they  do  not  But  as  for  the  others,  they  are 
■0  in  the  house  as  not  at  all  to  belong  to  the  structure  of  the  house,  and  they 


THK    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


265 


tn  not  III  that  sociHy  that  is  faithful  in  pcoc**  ami  righteoii»nes«i.  They  uro 
M  chu  ramid  tho  good  corn  ;  and  wo  cannot  deny  llmt  they  are  in  the  hoiioe, 
•incc  the  Apostle  8uy«,  'that  Iheru  arc  in  the  house  not  only  venseU  ol  Told 
and  silver,  but  vessels  also  of  wood  and  earth— but  one  to  honor,  the  other  to 
dishonor."— August,  do  Baptis.  Contra.  Uonat.  lib.  vii,  cap.  51. 

You  have  already  perceived  that  the  quotations  which  I  brought 
forward  on  the  first  day  of  the  meeting,  coincide  with  this  view 
of  the  word  Church.     Clemens  of  Alexandria  says  : 

"The  ancient  Catholic  church  is  but  one  only,  which  assembles  in  ths 
unity  of  one  only  faith,  by  the  will  of  one  only  Go<l,  and  the  ministry  of  me 
only  Lord— all  those  who  are  before  obtained,  that  is  to  say,  whom  God  has 
predestinated  to  be  just,  having  known  them  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world."— Clem.  Alex.  Strom,  lib.  vii. 

Origen  says,  in  explaining  these  words,  "  Thou  art  Peter,  and 
upon  this  rock  will  I  build  my  church." 

"The  church  consists  of  all  those  who  are  perfect,  and  are  full  of  thoao 
words,  thoughts,  and  actions  which  lead  to  blessedness." 

In  Matt,  xvi,  St.  Ambrose  says, 

•  'i^°?  u""^  ^'*  tabernacle  Bethlehem,  because  the  church  of  the  righteous 
If^^l^M  r^' .r?''  "'^'■^  13  a  mystery  in  it;  for  Bethlehem  is  situated 

upon  the  sea  of  Gallilee  on  the  east  side,  which  signifies  to  us  that  every  aoul 
that  18  worthy  to  be  called  the  temple  of  God,  or  llic  church,  may  be  built 
upon  the  waves  of  this  world,  but  can  never  be  drowned  ;  it  may  be  encoun- 
tered  but  can  never  be  overthrown,  because  it  depresses  and  calms  the  wild 
impetuousness  ot  sufferings  It  looks  upofx  the  shipwrecks  of  others,  while 
r.1  •  !^  ^  J  .  ■  .^^"S«r.  a'ways  ready  to  receive  the  illumination  of  Jesua 
Christ,  and  to  rejoice  under  his  rays."— De  Abrah.  Patr.  Lib.  1,2.  cap.  3. 


And  further,  elsewhere,  he  says  expressly 


"That  as  the  saints  are  the  members  of  Jesus  Christ,  so  the  wicked  are 
the  members  ol  the  devil."— In  PsaJin  xxxv. 

S4.  Jerome  says : 

,ul'  ^i'*  '"'"Z"'"'  "''^"?  H  "^'  assembly  of  all  the  saints,  is  called  in  the  scripture 
Uie  pillar  and  ground  of  truth,  because  she  has  in  Jesus  Christ  an  eternal 
firmness."— In.  Job  cap.  xxvi. 

Again,  in  the  exposition  of  the  Canticles,  he  says  : 

"  That  the  church  is  the  assembly  of  all  the  saints,  and  that  she  is  brought  in 
speaking  m  the  Canticles,  as  if  all  the  saints  were  but  one  person."— Cant 

Aiid  even  the  author  of  the  Commentary  on  the  Psalms, 
ascribed  to  St.  Jerome,  explaining  these  words  of  the  prophet, 
» 1  will  drive  away  from  the  city  of  the  Lord  all  workers  of 
iniquity,"  says : 

juatJ-lnk^l  d^  ^""'^  "  '^'  church  of  the  saUits,  the  congregation  of  the 

X  ou  will  perceive  from  the  quotations,  whether  Mr.  Ma"-uire'« 
view  of  the  word  "church"  coincides  with  that  entertained  by 
Christian  antiquity. 

28 


./ 


254 


THE    WANT    OF    UNIT?    OP 


Permit  mo  to  observe,  that  unity,  abstractedly  considered,  is 
not  a  distinctive  feature  of  the  cliurch  of  Christ.  There  may  be 
unity  in  error,  as  well  as  unity  in  truth.  The  unity  which  is  to 
distinguish  the  church  of  Christ,  consists  in  holding  the  essen- 
tials of  sound  doctrine.  In  order  to  explain  my  meaning,  permit 
lie  to  read  part  of  the  2d  psalm  : 

"  The  kings  of  the  eartli  stood  up,  and  the  princes  met  together  against 
tlie  Lord,  and  against  his  Christ." — v.  2.  " 

Here  we  read  of  unity ;  but  need  I  say,  that  it  was  unity 
founded  on  error.  If  mere  unity  be  the  essential  characteristic 
of  the  true  church,  the  Jewish  church  will  boasfthat  it  possesses 
this  mark  :  she  will  say, '  Christians  are  divided  into  many  sects 
and  parties  :  there  is  the  church  of  Rome,  with  her  Dominicans 
and  Franciscans,  her  Jesuits  and  Jansenists ;  there  are  the 
Protestant  communions,  differing  on  points  of  external  disci- 
pline— the  Episcopalians,  Presbyterians,  Independents,  and 
Baptists.  Christians  cannot,  therefore,  constitute  the  true  church. 
We  are  united ;  hence  we  are  the  true  church.'  Again  :  the 
Mahomedan,  looking  at  those  who  possess  the  sacred  scriptures, 
perceives  that  the  J^ws  receive  but  a  portion  of  them,  and  that 
Christians  receive  the  New  Testament  in  addition,  and  that  both 
differ  on  various  points  ;  he  will  conclude,  that,  if  unity  be  a 
mark  of  the  true  church,  the  Jews  and  Christians  cannot  con- 
stitute it :  "  my  church,"  he  will  say,  "  is  united,  therefore  it  is 
the  true  church."  Again  :  may  not  the  Hindoo,  on  this  princi 
pie,  when  he  sees  the  Jews  receiving  only  the  Old  Testament, 
the  Christians  both  Testaments,  and  the  Mahomedan,  though 
acknowledging  Christ  to  be  a  prophet  sent  by  heaven,  denying 
his  divinity— declare,  "  if  unity  be  the  mark  of  the  true  church, 
their's  is  not  the  true  church,  but  mine  is."  The  Infidel,  itoo, 
may  congratulate  himself,  when  he  perceives  that  those  who 
profess  to  believe  in  revealed  religion  differ  so  widely.  May 
he  not  say,  "if  unity  be  a  mark  of  the  true  church,  believers  in 
what  they  call  a  revelation  do  not  possess  that  mark  ;  therefore 
they  are  not  the  true  church ;  but  we  are  united  :  therefore  we 
are  the  true  church."  And  lastly,  the  Atheist  may  step  forward 
and  observe,  'here  are  Jews,  Christians,  Mahomedans,  Hindoos, 
and  Infidels,  all  professing  to  believe  in  a  preternatural  power, 
and  yet  widely  differing  from  each  other:  if  unity,  therefore,  be 
an  essential  mark  of  the  true  church,  the  Athsistical  church  is 
tbat  church." 

lou  perceive,  that  mere  unity  is  not  the  distinctive  mark  of 
the  true  church  ;  but  unity  in  sound  doctrine.  Here  the  whole 
argument  tinns ;  and  1  boldly  assert,  that  whatever  unity  is  to 
be  found  in  the  church  of  Rome,  is  a  unity,  not  of  sound  doc- 
trine, but  of  erroneous  doctrines. 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


255 


Hear  the  Fathers  upon  this  point,  that  real  unity  consists  in 
aound  doctrine : 

"They  do  not,"  says  Ambrose,  "possess  the  inheritance  of  Peter,  who  do 
not  hold  the  faith  of  Peter."— De  Poenit.  cap.  6. 

Tertullian  observes, 

"True  unity  is  the  consanguinity  of  faith  and  doctrine."— De  Pnescript. 

Mr.  Maguire  asserted,  that  the  church  of  Rome  did  differ  upon 
matters  not  essential,  but  that  its  unity  consisted  in  essential 
doctrines — Now  I  think  essential  and  fundamental  doctrines  are 
synonymous  terms.  What  is  the  opinion  of  Deiahogue  upon  this 
distinction  between  fundamental  and  non-fundamental  articles  ? 

"Jam  manifestum  est  distinctioncm  articulorum  fundamentalium  et  non 
fundainentulium  meium  esse  commentum,  scripturis  evidentiir  repu'^nans 
toti  tradition  1  ignotum,  et  in  desperatae  causae  pneaidium  a  Juriceo  exco-^ita' 
turn." — P.  16.  ° 

"It  is  now  manifest,  that  the  distinction  between  fundamental  and  non- 
fundamental  articles  is  a  mere  comment,  evidently  opposed  to  scripture 
unknown  to  tradition  altogether,  and  invented  by  Juriseus,  as  the  last  re- 
source of  a  desperate  cause." 

I  wonder  whether  Mr.  Maguire  is  at  unity  with  Deiahogue  on 
this  subject ;  and  we  know  that  Deiahogue  is  the  class-book  of 
Maynooth.  We  assert,  as  a  positive  matter  of  fact,  thai  all  the 
great  Protestant  communions  in  their  published  confessions,  are 
agreed  on  the  essential  truths  of  the  Christian  system.  First, 
as  to  the  head  of  the  church— they  hold  that  Christ  is  head  over 
all  things  to  his  church,  God  over  all,  blessed  for  ever.  They 
are  agreed  upon  the  standard  of  faith— the  Bible,  and  the  Bible 
alone,  is  the  religion  of  Protestants. 

I  hold  in  my  hand  a  book  entitled  "Corpus  et  Suntagma 
Confessionum,"  &c.  A  Body  and  Collation  of  the  Confessions 
of  Faith,  which  were  authenticated,  and  edited  in  the  name  of 
the  Churches  in  different  kingdoms  and  nations,  published  in 
the  most  famous  convention,  and  approved  of  by  public  autho- 
rity," &c.  1512. 

Any  gentleman  who  pleases  may  examine  the  work  ;  he  shall 
<jave  it  for  the  purpose.  From  it  he  will  discover,  that  the  great 
Protestant  communions  coincide  on  the  canon  of  scripture,  in 
their  views  of  the  guilt  and  natural  depravity  of  man,  and  on 
that  great  fundamental  truth,  that  the  sinner  is  justihed  by  faith 

only,  in  the  atonement  of  the  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ, 

that  they  harmonize  on  the  doctrine  of  the  necessity  of  a  change 
of  heart,  ere  the  soul  can  be  admitted  into  the  kingdom  of 
glory — that  thev  accord  in  thn  srrintnrni  tnxih  ♦hn»  tUa.  f^Uh  r.e 
the  gospel  opens  the  affections,  purifies  the  inmost  recesses  of 
the  soul,  emancipates  the  believer  from  the  overwhelming  influ- 
ence of  the  world,  binds  him  by  the  strongest  moral  obligations  — 


256 


THE    WANT    OF    UNITV    OF 


in  a  word,  consecrates  him  to  be  a  vessel  meet  for  his  master's 
use.  These  are  the  great  essential  truths  on  which  all  real 
Protestants  agree.  In  support  of  these  fundamental  tenets,  I 
appeal  to  that  blessed  volume  in  which,  to  use  the  words  of 
Bellarmine, 

"  All  things  necessary  for  all  are  written  by  the  Apostles." 
"Dico  ill.a  omnia  scnpta  esse  ab  Apostolis  qute  sunt  omnibus  neccssaria, 
&c"— Z)e  Verbo  non  Scriplo,  Lib.  iv,  c,  11. 

To  the  Apostolic  records  I  appeal,  in  support  of  these  doc- 
trines ;  and  to  the  printed  confessions  of  faith,  in  demonstration 
that  on  essential  doctrines  Protestant  communions  are  found  to 
accord.  Having  made  these  few  observations  on  the  unity 
subsisting  between  the  Protestant  communions,  I  throw  back 
upon  my  friend  the  charge  of  want  of  unity  in  his  own  church. 
1  assert  that  his  church  has  not  unity  in  reference  to  the  standard 
of  faith,  in  reference  to  doctrine,  and  various  other  points — to 
which  I  shall  presently  take  the  liberty  of  calling  your  attention. 

My  friend  will  tell  you,  doubtless,  that  his  church  possesses 
one  head,  as  the  source  and  centre  of  unity — that  the  Pope,  as 
successor  to  St.  Peter,  is  supreme.  But  it  will  devolve  on  him 
to  prove,  that  Peter  .vas  the  supreme  Apostle,  and  that  the  Popes 
are  his  successors.  I  shall  assign  my  reasons  for  the  opinion, 
that  Peter  did  not  possess  jurisdiction  over  the  other  Apostles. 
Peter  was  specially  the  Apostle  of  the  Jews,  and  was  not 
appointed  to  watch  over  the  Gentile  church.  Paul  was  the 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  and  if  any  on  that  ground  could  lay 
claim  to  supremacy,  the  Apostle  Paul  was  the  individual.  Mark 
the  absurdity  into  which  this  doctrine  of  Peter's  supremacy  would 
lead  us.  St.  John  survived  Peter  about  twenty  years.  If  this 
prerogative  therefore  belongs  to  the  bishop  of  Rome,  we  should 
nave  an  uninspired  man,  whether  Linus,  or  Clement  exercising 
jurisdiction  over  an  inspired  Apostle? 

The  Apostles,  permit  me  to  add,  never  recognized  Peter  as 
supreme.  At  the  last  supper  we  find  them  disputing  which  of 
them  should  be  the  greatest.  Had  they  conceived  that  the 
Saviour,  in  the  passage,  "  Thou  art  Peter,"  &c,  had  conferred 
superiority  upon  him,  is  it  likely  that  such  a  dispute  could  have 
arisen  amongst  them  ?  And  if  the  Saviour  had  conferred  any 
such  authority  upon  Peter,  would  he  not  have  referred  the 
Apostles  to  his  previous  decision,  in  order  to  terminate  the  dis- 
putation: but  he  simply  inculcates  upon  them  a  lesson  of  humility 
(Luke,  xxii,  24.)  When  the  Apostles  had  found  that  Samaria 
had  received  the  Word  of  God,  "  they  sent  unto  them  Peter  and 
John."— -(Acts,  viii,  14.)  The  inferior  confessedly  is  sent  by 
the  superior,  and  therefore  neither  Peter  iior  John  were  j  bove 
the  other  Apostles      At  the  tirst  assembly  in  Jerusalem,  liiough 


THE  PROTESTANT  CHURCHES. 


257 


Peter  and  James  both  delivered  their  opinions,  yet  the  opinion 
of  Jnines,  and  not  that  of  Peter,  was  received  by  the  assembly. 
(Acts,  XV,  1.3.)  And  :n  the  letter  wliich  was  subsequently 
written,  there  is  no  mention  whatever  made  of  Peter.  The 
decree  thus  commences, 
"The  AposUcs  and  ancient  brethren,  to  the  brethren  of  the  Gentiles."- 

The  Apostle  Paul  talks  of  schisms— 
1  Co/.l/ir^  ""^  ^°"  '"'^^'  '  """  ''*'  ^''"''  ^  °'"  ^P^'"**"'  """^  ^  of  Ceplms."- 
True,  you  will  say,  it  was  wrong  to  assert  that  they  were 
under  Paul  or  Apoijos  :  but,  I  ask,  what  think  you  of"  I  am  of 
Cephas  or  Peter?"     /  ask,  if  Peler  was  the  svpreme  apostle, 
xvould  Paul  have  condemned  the  Corinthian  Christians  for  putting 
themselves  under  the  standard  of  the  supreme  head  1     Further— if 
to  have  one*earthly  head  be  the  essential  characteristic  of  the 
true  Church,  ihe  Church  in  the  primitive  times  did  not  possess 
this  centre  of  unity.     No  bishop  assumed  the  title  of  supreme 
unti  Boniface  IH,  m  tho  year  606.     Nay->his  centre  of  unity 
has  been  the  pregnant  source  of  divisions  in  the  church  of  Rome. 
We  read  of  more  than  twenty  schisms  arising  from  the  Popedom. 
At  one  period  we  find  Pope  fulminating  against  Pope  for  a  series 
of  years.  Stephen  VI,  abrogated  the  decrees  of  Pope  Formosus 
his  predecessor,  drew  his  body  out  of  his  sepulchre,  cut  off  his 
hngers,  because  they  had  been  used  in  ordination,  and  threw 
them  into  the  Tiber ;  alleging  as  a  reason,  that  he  obtained 
Peter  s  chair  by  perjury.     Romanus,  the  next  Pope,  abrogated 
all  the  decrees  of  his  predecessor,  Stephen ;  and  as  Platina 
observes,  this  quarrel  had  such  an  injurious  influence,  that  every 
followmg  Pope  infringed,  or  wholly  abrogated  the  acts  of  the 
toregomg. 

Again— the  church  of  Rome  is  split  on  the  subject  of  the  tem- 
poral  power  of  the  Popes,  also  on  infallibilily.  What  shall  we 
say  of  the  heretical  heads  which  have  presided  over  the  church 
ot  Rome.  Pope  Honorius  was  deposed  for  heresy  by  a  general 
council.  It  IS,  indeed,  a  daring  assumption  on  the  part  of  man, 
to  take  on  him  an  office  which  is  the  exclusive  prerogative  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  no  earthly  beino,  however  extensive 
his  mtormation,  correct  his  principles,  and  mighty  his  intellectual 
powers  may  be,  should  dare  to  assume,  an  office  which  no  combi. 
nation  of  talents,  however  exalted,  could  qualify  him  to  discharge. 

Mr.   MACUinE.— You  have  heard,  gentlemen,  perhaps  the 

T~"  V '-»•-"  v.uu,u  possibly  oe  set  up  for  (ne  Frotestant 

churches.      As  to  unity,  I  contend,  that  it  is  required  by  scrip- 
ture  as  a  mark  ot  that  peace  which  Christ  bequeathed  to  his 

22* 


258 


THE    WANT    OF    UNITY    OF 


I        I 


I       i 


ii 
I 


foUowers — ♦»  My  peace  I  leave  with  you — my  peace  I  give 
you,"-r-and  as  a  token  of  that  hoHness  which  our  Lord  intended 
should,  until  the  consummation  of  ages,  characterize  the  true 
church  upon  earth.  You  have  heard  the  most  ingenious  defence 
which  could  be  offered  for  the  absence  of  all  unity ;  and  you 
cannot  have  failed  to  observe  that  Mr.  Pope  has  employed  his 
usual  tact  on  this  occasion.  I  had  put  him  on  his  defence  as 
to  a  certain  point  of  doctrine.  I  had  left  the  ground  clear  for 
him.  But,  instead  of  confining  himself  to  the  maintenance  of 
his  own  principles  on  this  particular  point,  and  to  an  anticipation 
of  my  objections,  he  turns  upon  me,  and,  as  has  been  his  inva- 
riable practice,  puts  me  upon  my  defence.  In  that  respect  Mr. 
Pope  deserves  much  credit  for  his  ingenuity.  I  had  hoped  that 
the  discussion  would  terminate  this  day  with  good  humour  and 
good  feeling.  Some  expressions  dropped  from  my  opponent 
yesterday,  which  might  as  well  have  been  spared.  In  stating 
my  arguments  as  to  Mr.  Pope's  principles,  I  confined  myself  to 
the  proof  their  inconsistency  with  the  moral  precepts  of  the 
gospel.  Though  I  took  care  that  my  arguments  as  to  morality 
should  be  confined  to  the  principles,  and  not  addressed  to  the 
individual,  my  opponent  has  in  return  made  personal  allusions 
to  my  moral  character.  This  T  will  say,  that  the  comparison 
which  my  friend,  Mr.  Pope,  has  drawn  between  his  moral  char- 
acter and  mine,  was  not  provoked  by  any  observation  that  had 
fallen  from  me.  I  would  not,  however,  shrink  from  such  an 
investigation  at  any  time,  that  it  might  be  shown  to  be  calculated 
to  serve  any  good  or  useful  purpose.  I  have  endeavoured 
through  life,  though,  indeed,  I  cannot  lay  claim  to  the  title  of 
"  saint,"  to  square  my  conduct  agreeably  to  the  maxims  of  the 
gospel ;  and  I  believe  I  may  say,  that  in  the  habits  of  social 
intercourse,  neither  my  Protestant  nor  Catholic  friends  have  had 
any  thing  to  complain  of  on  my  part.  Mr.  Pope  has  told  me, 
and  he  laid  great  stress  on  the  observation,  that  there  is  no  such 
expression  in  the  New  Testament  as  leqsvsy  signifying  a  sacri- 
ficing priest. 

Mr.  Pope. — What  I  said  was,  that  it  remains  to  be  proved, 
that  the  word  ie(fevg  is  employed  in  the  New  Testament,  to  de- 
signate a  minister  of  the  New  Testament. 

Mr.  Maguire. — I  beg  to  refer  you  tp  the  fifth  chapter  of  the 
Apocalypse  of  St.  John.  Here  the  Apostle  describes  a  book 
which  he  saw  lying  at  the  right  hand  of  him,  who  sat  upon  the 
throne,  sealed  with  seven  seals — he  also  saw  a  mighty  ungsl 
who  exclaimed  with  a  loud  voice — 

"  Who  is  worthy  to  open  the  book  and  to  break  the  seals 7" 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


259 


stating 


And  no  person  could  be  found  either  in  heaven  or  on  earth, 

or  under  the  earth,  to  open  the  book,  or  look  into  it.     The 

evangelist  then  proceeds  to  say  that  he  wept  much,  because 

there  was  none  found  worthy,  either  to  open  the  book,  or  to 

look  at  it.     And  one  of  the  elders  said  to  him — 

"  Weep  not,  behold  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Juda  and  the  root  of  David, 
prevaileth  to  open  the  book  and  to  break  its  seven  seals." 

In  the  8th  verse,  he  says — that  when  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of 
Juda,  (meaning  Christ)  had  opened  the  book,  the  four  animals 
and  the  four  and  twenty  elders  prostrated  themselves  before  the 
Lamb,  saying — 

"Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive  the  book,  and  to  break  its  seals, 
because  5hou  hast  bem  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  unto  God  in  thv  blood, 
of  every  tribe,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation,  and  thou  hast  made  us  a 
kingdom  and  priests  and  we  will  reign  upon  the  earth." 

T  now  wish  it  to  be  remarked,  that  the  persons  who  are  pre- 
viously styled  ngeafivTFQoi^ — Presbyters — are  in  the  tenth  verse 
styled  IpQst,  translated  by  St.  Jerome,  Saccrdotes — the  Vulgate 
translation  of  the  tenth  verse  is — "  Et  fecisti  nos  Deo  no'stro 
regnum  et  Sacerdotes ;  et  regnabimus  super  terram."  Here  the 
four  and  twenty  elders,  who  are  called  in  the  fourth  verse  of  the 
foregoing  chapter,  Ugea^vteQoi.,  and  who  are  said  to  have  been 
clothed  in  v/hite  vestments,  give  glory  to  God  that  he  had  made 
them  priests,  a  i  ot.  Jerome  renders  it,  and  that  they  will  reign 
upon  the  earth.  Now  if  these  had  not  been  priests  of  the  new 
law  how  could  they  say,  "  we  will  reign  upon  the  earth."  But, 
as  priests  of  the  new  law,  the  expression  was  reasonable,  as  they 
had  ruled  and  are  still  ruling  by  their  representative  successors. 
It  is  admitted  that  leqevg  is  applied  to  them,  and  I  have  shown 
that  they  must  have  been  priests  of  the  new  law. 

Mr.  Pope  laid  much  stress  on  the  fact  that  our  Lord  spoke  to 
his  disciples  at  Capernaum  in  the  Syriac  language,  and  that,  as 
there  is  no  word  in  that  language  tantamount  to  "  represent," 
the  verb  "  w"  is  employed  to  convey  the  meaning  of  represent. 
I  beg  to  remind  my  friend  Mr.  Pope,  that  he  has  fallen  into  a 
notable  error  on  this  point — he  should  have  borne  in  his  recol- 
lection, that  although  our  Lord  (who  nevef  wrote  any)  then 
spoke  in  the  Stjriac'iongue,  the  evangelist  wrote  his  gospel  in  the 
Greek  language,  which  is  not  deficient  in  a  word  signifying  "  to 
represent.^^  Whatever  question  then  may  be  raised  relative  to 
the  language  in  which  our  Saviour  spoke,  his  words  have  been 
transcribed  into  Greek,  and  I  suppose  Mr.  Pope  will  not  accuse 
the  evangelists  of  misrepresenting  Jesus  Christ.  Mr.  Pope  also 
formed  an  aiguineni  touching  the  ancient  liturgies  in  the  Syriac 
tongue.  What  is  the  fact  ?  Every  day  in  the  year  at  St.  Peter's 
in  Rome,  mass  is  celebrated  in  the  Syriac,  but  the  words  of  the 


260 


THE    WANT    OF    UNITY    OF 


institution  of  tho  sacrament  are  retained  in  the  original  Greek- 
such  was  their  great  respect  and  awful  veneration  for  the  worda 
of  the  insiitulion. 

I  sliall  endeavour  to  follow  Mr.  Pope  through  the  various 
observations  in  which  ho  has  indulged.  I  have  taken  my  proofs 
from  scripture  and  from  the  Fathers  of  the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth 
ages  of  the  church.  I  have  sustained  no  doctrine  which  I  have 
not  clearly  proved  to  be  founded  on  scripture.  You  will' not 
Hiil  to  remark  that  Mr.  Pope  has  appealed  but  to  very  few  texts, 
and  whether  those  which  he  has  quoted,  be  equally  strong  and 
clear,  and  equally  applicable  as  those  adduced  by  me,  I  shall 
leave  to  you  and  to  the  world  to  decide.  In  the  tenth  chapter 
of  St.  John,  verse  16,  we  read  : 

"And  other  sliecp  I  liave  that  are  not  of  thia  foM :  them  also  I  must  bring, 
and  they  shall  hoarmy  voice,  and  there  shall  bo  mudc  one  fold  and  one  shepherd." 

It  is  plain  that  the  idea  of  one  fold  signifies  that  all  the  Sheep 
are  to  be  kept  under  the  control  of  one  shepherd.  Perhaps, 
this  may  not  be  the  interpretation  put  upon  thn  passage  by  Mr. 
Pope's  private  judgment,  but  it^is  in  my  opuuon  the  clear  and 
obvious  meaning  of  the  text.  *In  the  seventeenth  chapter  of 
John,  verse  20,  21,  our  Saviour  says : 

"  And  not  for  them  only  do  I  pray,  but  for  those  also  wlio  through  their 
word  shall  believe  in  me ;  that  they  may  all  be  one  as  thou,  Father,  in  me, 
and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  bo  one  in  us;  that  tho  world  may  believe 
that  thou  hast  sent  inc." 

If  the  unity  which  Christ  conferred  upon  his  church  be  com- 
pared, as  it  here  is,  by  Christ  himself,  to  the  unity  which  exists 
between  him  and  his  heavenly  Father,  \t  evidently  follows  that 
such  unity  can  scarcely  be  exceeded.  In  Romans,  xv,  6  and  6, 
we  read, 

"Now  the  God  of  patience  and  of  comfort  grant  you  to  be  of  one  mind, on< 
towards  another,  according  to  Jesus  Christ ;  thatwith  one  mind,  and  with 
uie  mouth,  you  may  glorify  God  and  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

In  the  same  chapter,  verses  16  anc*  17,  we  read, 

"  Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  to  mark  ilsem  toho  cause  dissensions,  and 
offend  contrary  to  the  doctrine  which  you  havi?  learned  ;  and  to  avoid  them." 

In  the  1st  Corinthians,  1st  chapter,  10th  Vcrse,  we  read, 

"Now  I  beseech,  you,  brethren,  that  you  all  speak  tlie  same  thing,  and 
that  there  be  no  schisms  among  you ;  but  tliat  you  be  perfect  in  the  samt 
mind,  and  in  the  same  judgments." 

You  will  observe  that  the  Apostle  makes  nD  distinction  be- 
tween schism  in  doctrine,  and  schisms  in  discipline. 

"Careful  to  keep  tlie  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  oi  '.ace — one  body, 
and  one  spirit;  as  you  are  all  called  in  one  hope  of  your  calling.  One  Lord, 
one  faith,  one  bapu'sni.  One  God,  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all.  and 
through  all,  and  in  us  all." — Ephes.  iv,  31,  5,  6. 


I 


THE    PR0TE8TANT    CHURCHES. 


261 


'*  Lot  us,  thoreforo,  as  many  us  aro  perfect,  be  thus  minded ;  nevertheless 
whcreiinto  wo  aro  already  arrived,  tliat  we  be  of  the  same  mind ;  let  us  also 
continue  in  the  same  rule." — Phil,  iii,  15,  16. 

Murk  the  following  word.s  of  the  great  Apostle  of  the  Gen- 
tiles, ill  his  epistle  to  Titus  iii,  10 — 

"  A  man  that  ia  a  heretic  after  the  first  and  second  admonition,  avoid ; 
knowing  that  he,  that  is  such  an  one,  is  subverted  and  sinneth,  being  con- 
demned by  his  private  juUg^ment — propria  judicio  condemnatus." 

"  But  if  any  man  seem  to  be  contentious,  we  have  no  such  custom,  nor  the 
church  of  God." — 1  Cor.  xi,  15. 

Again, 

"Follow  peace  with  all  men,  without  which  no  man  shall  see  God." — 
Heb.  xii,  14. 

I  have  now  laid  before  you  direct  and  positive  texts  of  scrip- 
ture on  the  subject  of  unity,  and  I  shall  leave  them  for  the  pre- 
sent, without  any  commentary,  to  make  the  due  impression  upon 
the  judgments  of  the  candid  and  the  impartial. 

I  .shall  now  proceed  to  the  testimonies  of  the  Fathers  on  the 
subject.  I  shall  commence  at  the  earliest  era,  with  Saints 
Ignatius  and  Clement ;  the  latter  was*  a  disciple  and  coadjutor 
of  the  Apostles,  as  he  is  styled  by  St.  Paul  to  the  Phillippians 
(iv,  3.)  Ignatius,  whom  1  shall  first  quote,  was  the  second 
bishop  of  Antioch,  after  St.  Peter,  and  governed  that  church  for 
forty  years,  and  died  a  martyr,  under  the  emperor  Trajan.  St. 
Ignatius,  in  his  epistle  to  the  people  of  Magnesia,  having  recom- 
mended them  to  preserve  concord  among  themselves,  and  to 
submit  to  their  superiors,  as  he  does  indeed  in  all  his  epistles, 
proceeds  to  say, 

"  Avoiding  heterodox  opinions  and  useless  fables,  labour  to  be  strengthened 
in  the  doctrines  of  the  Lord  and  of  the  Apostles,  in  order  that  you  may  pros- 
per in  all  things,  in  body  and  spirit,  in  faith  and  charty ;  together  with  your 
respectable  bishops,  the  united  college  of  priests,  and  the  holy  deacons.^  Be 
submissive  to  the  binhops  and  to  one  another,  an  Jesus  Christ,  according  to  the 
flesh,  was  to  his  Father,  and  the  Apostles  to  Christ,  and  to  the  Father,  and 
the  Holy  Spirit;  that  your  union  be  in  body  and  spirit"— £;>.  ad  Magnes.  inter 
P.  P.  Jipost.  tome  ii,  p.  21.    Ed.  Amsteladami,  1724. 

Again, 

"  1  conjure  you  to  use  only  Christian  food,  and  to  refrain  from/oreign  weed, 
which  ia  heresy.  Guard  yourselves  from  such,  which  you  will  do,  if  you  be 
not  puffed  up,  but  remain  inseparably  united  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  your  bishop, 
and  the  ordinances  of  the  Apostles.  He  who  is  within  the  altar  is  clean ;  but 
he  who  is  without,  tiiat  is  toithout  the  bishop,  and  the  priests,  and  the  deacons, 
is  not  clean."— (£p.  ad  TraUianos,  p.  23.) 

Again, 

"  He  who  corrupts  the  faith  of  God,  for  which  Christ  suffered,  the  same 
being  defiled,  shall  go  into  unquenchable  fire,  as  shall  he  that  heareth  him." — 

Ep.adEphes.p.l5.  ^         ^         ^  ,■     •     _    r    _•.         a  ,}     u  A 

'J  As  cliiUiieii  of  light  and  iniin  avoid  ihc  divistuwa  oi  unity,  anu  t.ie  baa 
dqctrines  of  heretics.  Where  the  shepherd  is,  do  you,  like  sheep  follow."— 
Ep.  ad  Philad.  p.  31. 


262 


THE    WANT    OP    UNITY    OP 


St.  Clement,  the  disciple  of  St.  John  the  evangelist,  and  coad- 
jutor of  the  Apostle  Paul,  in  his  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians, 
chapter  46,  (Inter  P.  P.  Apoistolicos,  tome  i,  page  174,  Edit. 
Amsteloedami,  1724,)  has  the  following  pertinent  remarks  : 

"  VVliy  arc  these  contentions  and  schisms  amonw  you  ?  Have  we  not  one 
God  and  one  Chriet?  And  one  Spirit  and  one  calling  in  Christ  ?  Why  do 
we  divide  and  sever  the  members  of  Christ,  and  raise  sedition  among  the 
body  ?  Your  schisms  pervert  many ;  it  has  cast  many  into  de'cction  ;  many 
it  has  caused  to  doubt,  and  afflicted  "us  all.  Notwithstanding  this,  you 
desist  not." 

St.  Clement,  you  will  also  observe,  makes  no  distinction  what- 
ever bfctween  schism  in  doctrine^  and  in  discipline,  but  bestows 
indiscriminate  reprobation  upon  schism  of  every  description. 

Hegisippus,  who  was  a  native  of  Palestine,  and  belonged  to 
the  church  of  Jerusalem,  and  resided  near  twenty  years  at  Rome, 
and  of  whom  St.  Jerome  says,  that  he  lived  near  to  the  Apos- 
tolic times,  and  compiled  a  history  in  five  books,  of  all  that  had 
passed  from  the  death  of  our  Lord  to  his  own  days,  (a  few  frag- 
ments of  which  are  preserved  by  Eusebius,)  and  who  died  about 
the  year  180,  has  the  following  passages,  as  preserved  by  Euse- 
bius in  his  History,  (I  shall  give  the  words  of  the  historian  him- 
self, as  they  are  related  of  Hegisippus) — 

"  In  the  books  which  have  come  down  to  us,  Hegisippus  relates  of  himself, 
that  as  he  went  to  Rome,  he  visited  many  bishops,  and  heard  from  ali,  one 
and  the  same  doctrine.  They  called  the  chiirch  (says  he)  a  virgin,  because 
as  yet  she  had  not  been  corrupted  by  vain  opinions.  From  the  heretics  who 
then  rose,  came  false  Christs,  false  prophets,  and  false  Apostles;  and  these, 
introducing  counterfeit  doctrine  agamst  God,  and  against  his  Christ,  severed 
the  unity  of  the  church." — ApudEuseb.  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  iv,  c.  22,  p.  161. 
Ed.  Cantabrig.  1720. 

Irenseus, 

"The  church  extended  to  the  boundaries  of  the  earth,  received  her  faith 
from  the  Apostles,  and  their  disciples.  Having  received  it;  she  carefufly 
retains  it,  as  if  dwelling  in  one  house,  as  possessing  one  love,  and  one  heart: 
the  same  faith  she  delivers  and  teaches  with  one  accord,  and  as  if  gifted  with 
one  tongue.  For  though  in  the  world  there  be  various  modes  of  speech,  the 
tradition  of  doctrine  is  one  and  the  same.  In  the  churches  of  Gerrnany,  in 
tho!»e  of  Spain  and  Gaul,  in  those  of  the  East,  of  Egypt,  and  of  Africa,  and 
in  the  middle  regions,  is  the  same  belief— the  same  teaching.  For  as  the 
woiid  is  enlightened  by  one  sun,  so  does  the  preaching  of  one  faith  enlighten 
all  men  that'  are  willing  to  come  to  the  knowledge  oftnilh.  Nor  among  the 
pastors  of  the  church  does  he  that  is  eloquent  deliver  other  doctrine,  for  no 
one  is  above  his  master— nor  he  that  is  weak  in  speech,  diminish  the  truths 
of  tradition.  Faith  being  one,  cannot  be  effected  by  the  power  or  the  want 
of  utterance."— Adv.  Heres.  lib.  i,  c.  ii,  iii,  p.  45,  46.  Ed.  Oxon.  1702. 

And, 

"God  placed  in  his  church.  Apostles,  prophets,  doctors-:  and  the  whole 
operation  of  the  spirit  of  which  they  do  not  partake,  who  are  not  united  to  the 
ehvrch;  but  by  their  own  bad  designs  and  actions,  they  deprive  themselves 
of  life.  For  where  tiie  church  is,  there  is  the  Spirit  of"  God ;  and  w;iiere  this 
Spirit  is,  there  is  the  church  and  all  grace ;  the  Spirit  is  truth." — Ibidem,  lib. 
iii,  c.  40,  p.  266.    See  also  Lib.  iv,  c.  62. 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES 


263 


you 


In  the  days  of  Irenceus  commenced  the  Quarto  Deciman  dis-  ' 
pute.  The  question  regarded  the  time. of  celebrating  the  feast 
of  Easter,  and  was  finally  decided  against  the  churches  of  Asia 
Minor,  by  the  council  of  Nice.  This  serious  controversy  ex- 
torted from  the  holy  Father  the  pathetic  and  anxious  language 
quoted  above,  by  which  he  besought  them  to  maintain  not  only 
unity  in  faith,  but  unity  of  discipline  also.  It  further  proves  the 
solicitude  of  the  church  to  maintain  uniformity  of  practice. 

Tertullian,  De  Prescrip.  c.  xx,  p.  234. — 

"  The  Aposllos  having  received  the  promised  assistance  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
first  preached  the  faith  in  Judxa,  and  planted  churches,  whence,  going  into 
the  whole  world,  they  proclaimed  the  same  doctrine  to  the  nations,  and  foun- 
ded churches.  Thcrclbre  these,  so  many  and  so  great  churches,  are  one  from 
that  one  of  the  Apostles,  from  which  are  lill.  And  thus  all  are  Apostolic, 
while  all  maintain  the  same  unity." 

And,  » 

"  There  is  one  faith  to  the  Apostles  and  to  us — one  God-^-one  Christ — one 
hope — the  same  sacraments.  Let  me  say  it  in  one  word,  we  are  all  one 
church.  Whatever  belongs  to  any  among  us;  is  also  our  own.  Hoc  nostrum 
est  quodcumque  nostrorum  est." — De  Virg.  Veland,  p.  309. 

St.  Clement  of  Alexandria,  lib.  vii,  Stromat.  No.  17,  p.  899, 

900—     ' 

"  From  what  has  been  said,  I  think  it  manifest  that  there  is  only  one  true 
church,  which  is  alone  anticntf  to  which  a.11  the  just  properly  belong.  This 
church,  which  is  one,  is  formed  into  one  nature,  which  unity  it  is  the  endea- 
vour of  heretics  to  sever  into  many.  Therefore  we  say,  that  the  ancient 
and  Catholic  church  alone  is  one  in  essence,  in  opinion,  in  origin,  and  in 
excellence,  one  in  faith — Of  this  church,  the  eminence  as  well  as  the  principle 
of  its  construction,  arises  fromunity  ;  by  this  surpassing  all  other  things, 
and  knowing  nothing  like  or  equal  to  itself.  The  doctrine  of  all  the  Apos- 
tles was  one,  as  was  one  all  that  they  delivered." 

He  elsewhere  defines  the  church  to  be — 

"  A  people  collected  into  one  faith  from  the  Jews  and  Gentiles." 

And  afterwards  adds — 

"  Thus  they  both  arrive  at  the  unity  of  faith."— Ibid,  vi,  p.  736,  793. 

Hear  the  emphatic  Origen — 

"  As  they  shall  not  possess  the  kingdom  of  God,  who  have  been  defiled  by 
fornication,  other  impurities,  and  the  worship  of  idols,  so  neither  shall  heretics." 
Horn,  in  ep,  ad  Tit.  apud  Pamphylum  Apol.  t.  i,  p.  481.     Edit,  Genebradi. 

"  Should  any  one  be  found  not  hastening,  not  betaking  himself  to  the  walled 
cities,  that  is,  shall  not  have  entered  into  the  churches  of  God,  but  have 
remained  without,  he  shall  perish  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy." — Hom.  v,  in 
Jerem.  t.  iii,  p.  161.     Edit.  Paris,  1733. 

"  Let  no  one  persuade,  no  one  deceive  himself ;  out  of  this  house,  that  is. 
out  of  the  church,  is  no  salvation.  He  that  shall  go  out,  becomes  guilty  oi 
his  own  death." — Hom.  iv,  in  Josue,  t  ii,  p.  404. 

St.  Cyprian,  the  Martyr,  who  wrote  an  elaborate  work,  pro- 

may  be  seen  in  his  book,  passim^  De  Unitate  Ecclesiae,  p.  108 
Edit.  Oxon.  1682.  et  alibi-    bus  expresses  himself: 


264 


THE    WANT    OF    U?IITY  OF 


}' 


1 
I 


"  The  church  is  one,  widely  extended  by  its  fecundity  ;  as  theie  are  many 
rays  of  light,  but  one  snn  ;  many  brunches  of  a  tree,  but  one  root  deeply 
fixed  ;  riiiiny  strenins  of  water,  but  one  source.  Take  a  ray  from  the  sun  ; 
the  unity  of'  lisht  allows  not  division.  Break  a  branch  from  the  troe,  the 
bran<:ii  cannot  germinate.  Cut  oft' the  stream  from  its  «ourc.:,  t'.if  .itreamdrirs 
up.  80  the  church  sends  forth  her  rays  overlhe  who!  ir;'\  ;  y«t.  1  liie  light 
one,  and  its  unity  is  undivided. 

"  lie  tliutdoes  not  hold  this  imity  of  the  church, cin  li'^  laink  that  beholds 
the  failii  ?  lie  that  opposes  and  withstands  the  church,  can  he  trust  that  he 
is  in  the  church  ?  When  the  blessed  Paul  teaches  the  same  thing,  and  shows 
the  sacred  character  of  unity,  saying,  (Ephes.  iv,  4,  5,  6,)  one  body  and  one 
spirit,  &c  ;    which  unity,  it '»  our  duty  firmly  to  hold  and  to  vindicate." 

♦'Whosoever  is  separated  from  the  church,  is  joined  to  an  adulteress :  is 
cut  ofl'from  the  promises  of  the  church.  Who  deserts  the  church  of  Chiiai, 
obtains  not  the  rewards  of  Christ.  He  is  an  alien  ;  he  is  profane  ;  he  is  an 
enemy.  He  cannot  have  God  for  a  Father,  who  has  not  the  church  for  his 
mother.  If  excluded  from  the  ark  of  Noah,  any  one  might  have  escaped  ;  so 
mnv  he,  if  out  of  the  church.  The  Lord  admonishes,  and  says,  ^  he  thai  is 
not  mith  ine  is  against  Hie." — (Mark,  xii,  30.)  Who  violates  the  peace  of 
Christ  and  concord,  is  against  him." 

"  The  Lord  says,  '  /  and  the  Father  are  one,''  (John,  x,  30.)— And  again,  of 
the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  it  is  written,  '  and  these  three  are  one,* 
(John,  i,  7.)  He  who  holds  not  this  unity,  holds  not  the  law  of  God,  nor 
the  faith  of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  nor  the  truth  that  is  unto  salvation."— 
Ibid.  p.  109. 

And  after  proving  that  by  the  seamless  garment  of  Christ  the 
unity  of  the  church  was  represented,  the  holy  Martyr  adds — 

"  Who  is  so  wicked  and  perfidious,  who  so  transported  by  the  rage  of 
discord,  as  to  think,  that  the  unity  of  God,  the  vesture  of  the  Lord,  the  church 
of  Christ  may  be  severed  'I  Christ  tells  us  in  his  gospel,  'there  shall  be  one 
flock,  and  one  shepherd.' — (John,  x,  16.)  Does  any  one  then  imagine,  that 
in  the  same  place  may  be  many  shepherds  and  many  flocks  ? 

"  The  Apostle  also,  urging  the  same  unity,  entreats  and  admonishes,  say- 
ing— '  ^010  /  beseech  you  brethren,  by  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Chnst,  that 
j/ou  all  speak  the  same  thing,  and  that  there  be  no  schism  among  you.' — Ibid, 
p.  110. 

"  God  is  one,  and  Christ  is  one,  and  his  Church  is  one,  and  fakhis  one,  and 
his  people  connected  by  one  solid  bond,  is  one.  Unity  cannot  be  severed  nor 
the  one  body  by  laceration  be  divided.  Whatever  is  separated  from  the  stock 
cannot  live;  cannot  breathe  apart;  it  loses  the  substance  of  life."--Jbid.  119. 

Dionysius  of  Alexandria,  who  was  a  catechist  of  the  church 
of  Alexandria,  as  St.  Clement  had  been,  and  succeeded  to  that 
see  about  the  year  247,  and  is  much  spoken  of  by  the  early 
ecclesiastical  writers,  as  highly  illustrious  for  the  learning  und 
zeal  with  which  he  defended  the  Catholic  cause,  and  who  died 
about  the  year  264,  thus  addresses  the  schismatic  Novatian  : 

"  You  ought  rather  to  have  suffered  all  things  than  to  have  raised  a  schism 
in  the  church.  To  die  in  defence  of  its  vnily  would  be  as  glorious  as  laying 
down  our  life  rather  than  sacrifice  to  idols  ;  and  in  my  opinion  more  glorious  ; 
because  here  the  safety  of  the  wiiole  church  is  consulted.  If  yo<i  bringyour 
brethren  to  union,  this  will  overbalance  your  fault,  which  wdl  be  lorgotten 
and  you  will  receive  commendation.  If  vou  caiuiot  gain  others,  at  least  save 
your  own  souls."— Apud.  Eusebii  HisL  ficcles.  fib.  vi,  c.  4a,  318,  Edit  Can- 
Ub.  1730. 


I 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


tOd 


Lactantius,  who  was  called  the  Christian  Cicero,  in  the  4th 
Book  of  his  Institutions,  c.  xxx,  p.  232,  Cambridge  Edition, 
1685,  has  the  following  nervous  language  on  the  subject  • 

«r '!  Vr  !r '?'*?o''f  '^''"'"S'l.  a'o"«  retains  the  true  worship.  This  is  the  source 
of  truth,  thi3  13  the  (Jwellmg  of  faiti),  this  is  the  temple  of  God,  into  which 
he  that  enters  not,  and  from  which  he  that  goes  out,  forfeits  the  hope  of  Ufa. 
and  of  eternal  salvation."  o  •»  pc  wi  "to, 

Alexander,  patriarch  of  Alexandria,  who  vigorously  opposed 
(he  heresy  of  Arius  from  its  very  birth,  and  excommunicated 
Its  author  and  abettors,  and  who  assisted  at  the  first  council  of 
JNice,  anno  325,  writes  to  his  "  fellow-ministers  of  the  Catholic 
church,"  as  follows  : 

"  As  the  body  of  the  Catholic  chuicn  is  one,  and  the  scriptures  command, 
that  we  mamtain  the  bond  of  peace  and  concord,  it  is  proper,  that  in  regard 
to  a  things  that  are  done  amon^  us,  we  should  condole  or  rejoice  witti  on« 
another."-- A  pud  Socratem.  lib.  i,  c.  6,  p.  10.    Edit.  Cantab.  1720. 

And  speaking  of  the  Arians,  he  says  : 

"  That  seamless  garment  which  the  murderers  of  Christ  would  not  divide 
these  men  (the  Arians)  have  dared  to  rip  asunder."— Apud  Theodoret,  Lib* 
I,  c.  4,  p.  '.).    Edit.  Cantab.  1720.  i  ^    • 

The  council  of  Nice,  the  first  general  council,  held  in  the 
year  325,  three  hundred  and  eighteen  bishops  present— (as  is 
generally  admitted)— and  held  at  a  period  too,  when,  by  the 
confession  of  all  Protestants,  the  church  exhibited  undoubted 
proofs  of  primitive  purity,  thus  declared, 

"  But  as  to  those  persons  who  are  found  not  to  have  declined  to  any  schism 
and  to  have  kept  themselves  uncontaminated  within  the  Catholic  and  Ados* 
1671  '  ^^''^  ^'*^®  *  "Sht  to  ordain."— Gen.  Con.  t,  ii,  p.  250.  Ed.  Paris, 

I  have  also  Eusebius,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  v,  c.  11,  p.  212. 
Edit.  Cant.  1720.  St.  Athanasius,  whom  the  Protestants  have 
borrowed  om  us,  and  adopted  as  their  pn'ron  saint,  and  \>.  ose 
truth  they  so  peremptorily  insist  upon,  (I  know  nut  whethe  he 
be  a  favourite  with  the  lay  church  of  Mr.  Pope,)  thus  expresses 
himself,  m  his  epistle  De  Decret.  Nicaen.  t.  i,  p.  211  : 

"  The  Gentil. .,  who  disa^ee  anion^  thems  ves,  are  deprived  of  the  true 
doctrine  ;  jt  the  saints,  and  they,  who  are  th.  »reachers  of  truth,  aicunani- 
moiw.— They  lived,  ind.ed,  at  diflerent  times,  but  the  object  of  a!!  was  the 
same ;  for  they  were  the  prophet  of  one  God,  aad  they  announced,  with  one 
consent,  the  sai      word  of  truth.' 

'   St.  Basil, — 

"  We  indeed,  ourselves,  are  of  little  value  ;  but,  by  the  grace  f  Cod,  wo 
re,  m  ever  the  same,  unaffected  by  the  common  change  of  tliin<  Our 
Dehet  13  not  one  at  Seleucia,  and  another  at  Constantinople ;  one  at  Lampas- 
cnus,  aiiu  another  at  Rome  :  and  so  tiiilerent  from  what  was  in  former  timet, 
but  always  one  and  the  same."— £/>.  250  ad  Evacinos,  t  iii,  p.  3S6.  Edit. 
Bened.  Parisiis,  1721.  »       •»  i- 

23 


ttfU 


THE    WANT    or    UNITY    Of 


\   :! 


'I 


*•  A«  many  aa  hope  in  Christ,  are  one  people,  and  they,  who  are  of  Chhat 
form  on«  church,  though  it  maybe  named  in  many  plocca."— Ep.  161,  oi 
Jlmphil.  t  iii,  p.  S52. 

Again — Ep.  204,  ad  JS'eoccca.  t.  iii,  p.  307. 

"  It  is  inorejustto  judgo  of  oiir  concerns,  not  from  this  or  that  nian,  who 
walk  n<it  in  trutl),  but  from  the  number  oi'  bishops  wiio,  in  iill  rrjrions,  are 
united  to  us.  Let  tiio  cities  of  Asia,  tho  sound  puit  of  I'.yypt,  anti  of  Syria, 
be  interrogated.  Those  by  letter  connnnnicale  with  us,  ami  wc  witli  them. 
From  these  you  may  lenrn,  that  we  are  all  unanimous  ;  nil  think  the  same 
thin".  Wherefore,  he  who  declines  our  communion,  may  be  considered  by 
you.^as B''parated  fron>  tho  universal  church.  It  is  better  no  should  lone  our 
lives,  and  that  the  churches  should  remain  unanimous,  tiuin  that  on  account 
of  our  childish  feuds,  the  iliithful  should  be  so  much  injured." 

St.  Cyril  of  Jerusalem. 

"Uphold  tlic  faith,  und  that  faith  alone,  which  is  now  delivered  to  thee  by 
the  church,  confirmed  as  it  is  by  all  the  scriptures."— Cat.  v.  No.  7yp.  75. 

"  We  declare  the  ways  of  error,  tliat  wfi  m»y  proceed  on  one  royal  road." — 
Cat.  xvi,  No.  6,  p.  '22G. 

"  As  far  as  our  lime  of  instruction  would  allow,  we  have  spoken  to  you  of 
that  holy  and  Apostolic  faith  which  was  delivered  to  you."— Cat.  xviii.  No. 
7,  p.  274. 

Ephrem  of  Edessa, 

"  Blessed  is  the  man,  who  has  chosen  the  Catholic  church.  They  shall  be 
deemed  deserving  of  punishment,  who  think  of  sowins  the  seeds  of  separa- 
tion in  the  breast  of  men.  Uuit  not  then  U.o  Catholic  faith,  nor  fall  from  it, 
■nould  any  question  or  schism  arise."— /n  Testanu  t.iii,  p.  2i3G.     Edit.  Bossil. 

Again— Scmio  24,  adv.  Herer,  p.  493,  J.  W.  Bit.  Quirini. 

"  The  assembly  of  the  good  detest  those  appellations,  which  are  derived 
from  men  ;  wherefore,  the  fBabellians  and  Arijins,  and  sectaries,  displeased 
with  the  names  which  their  respective  authors  have  "iven  them,  craftily  endea- 
vour to  decorate  themselves  with  the  name  of  our  church,  and  to  please  her. 
They  are  aware,  who  they  are,  whom  she  loves,  and  that  she  rests  wholly  on 
Christ  Have  they  not  read  how  the  Apostle  blamed  those,  who  said  they 
were  the  followers  of  Paul,  or  of  ApoUos,  or  of  Cephas  ?  But  a  more  bitter 
course  of  grief  has  assailed  us,  since  some  of  our  own  standing  have  given 
their  names  to  their  followers.  Blessed  be  that  name  wherein  we  were  called. 
Consider,  therefore,  on  which  side  i9»the  doctrine  of  the  Apostles.  They 
gave  no  names  ;  and  where  it  is  done,  there  is  a  departure  from  their  rule. 
On  the  other  hand  wei  declare,  that  truth  will  be  found  \yith  those,  who  are 
known  by  the  name  of  Christ  alone."  **' 

St.  Ambrose,  the  riieridian  sun  of  the  Latin  church,  comment- 
ing on  the  words  of  the  apostles  to  the  Ephesians,  chap,  iv,  v.  4. 
»♦  One  body  md  one  spirit,  as  you  are  called  in  one  hope  of 
your  calling,"  says, 

"  To  promote  peace  and  concord,  Paul  added  this— that  as  the  church  is 
one  body,  so  the  people  should  cultivate  union ;  for  the  object  of  our  belief  ia 
one,  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of  alh" 

Again,  he  commands  unity,  that, 

'•  As  all  are  called  to  unity,  we  should  differ  in  nothing.  For  if  there  be 
one  Lord,  that  is,  one  Christ ;  one  faith  and  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father 
of  all,  the  mmd  also  should  be  one,  and  the  heart  of  the  people  one,  since  mi 
tho  things  that  he  enumerates  are  examples  of  unity ;  for  they  agree  in  all 
things."— Comment  in  Cap.  iv,  Ep.  ad  Ephes.  t  iii,  p.  503.    Ed.  Paris,  1614 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


207 


of  Chriat 
p.  161,  <ui 


man,  who 
^pions,  are 
rl  of  Syria, 
rtith  tlicm. 
i  the  same 
sidercd  by 
Id  loce  our 
m  account 


to  thee  by 
^p.75. 
al  road."— 

ti  to  you  of 
.  xviii.  No. 


\(:y  shall  bo 
of  separa- 
iill  fioin  it, 
^dif.  Bossil. 

uirini. 

are  derived 
displeased 
ftilyendea- 
pleasc  her. 
i  wholly  on 
10  said  they 
more  bitter 
have  given 
ivcro  called. 
les.  They 
their  rulp. 
le,  who  are 


:omment- 
I,  iv,  V.  4. 
e  hope  of 

ie  church  is 
)ur  belief  u 

k" 


r  if  there  be 
I  and  Father 
ne,  since  uii 
igrec  in  all 
Pari«,  1614 


On  the  death  of  his  hrother  Satyrus,  having  related  his  escape 
from  a  storm,  and  the  deaire  he  fJt  to  return  solemn  thanks  to 
God,  St.  Ambrose  adds  : 

"  Whnn  we  <;ot  to  land,  ho  scut  for  tho  bishop  of  the  place  ;  but  aware  that 
true  failU  nlnne  was  nrccptalilu  to  lioavun,  he  inquired  of  hini  wns  ho  in 
coiniiiumon  w  ith  llioCnlholic  bisliops,  tliiil  ia  with  the  lioimn  Bishops  (ufrum- 
rmiii  nitii  l^piacopis  Ciithchcia,  lux:  <'8t,  »nm  Romanal'lccicHia.Convcnit^nt?) 
I-'or  th  )  country  Ii-j  kti.-w  was  infectod  with  schism.  The  bi>»hop  at  the  lime 
had  withdrawn  himanf  from  our  communion  :  and  though  he  was  in  banish- 
ment for  U\«  faith,  yet  in  schisuj  there  could  bo  no  true  faith.  He  hi;d  faith 
towards  God,  but  not  towards  iht;  church,  whose  members  he  permittrd  to  be 
torn  asun<hT.  For  since  Christ  died  for  the  church,  and  the  chiircli  is  the 
body  ot  Christ,  thi-y,  by  wliom  his  passio:!  is  made  void,  and  his  body  ixtorn 
asunder,  cannot  hold  his  faith.  How  desirous  soever  therefore  my' brother 
mi^ht  he  to  express  puhhrly  his  gratitude,  he  chose  to  defer  it  ;  because  he 
kmw  tliattrui!  fiiiih  was  necessary  for  its  due  accoin|)Iishmi'nt." — Dc  Obitu 
Fratris  Hatyri,  t.  iv,  p.  3IG. 

I  have  rneiitionod  this  one  faqt,  because  it  shows  more  than 
any  reasoning  on  the  subject  of  union  could  do,  how  great  was 
the  horror  then  entertained  of  schism,  or  of  departing  from  the 
faith  or  discipline  of  the  church. 

I  have  also  Optatus,  Jerrtme,  Chrysostom,  Aug^stin,  Theo- 
doiet,  the  council  of  Chalcedon,  &c,  here,  and  they  are  all 
ur^animous  in  their  interpretation  of  the  sacred  Scriptuies  on 
this  subject,  and  they  are  equally  strong  in  holding  the  absolute 
necessity  of  unity  in  the  church. 

Mr.  Pope. — Gentlemfen,  having  spoken  on  the  moral  influ- 
ence of  that  gospel,  which  proclaims  acceptance  to  the  guilty 
by  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesu.-i  Christ,  I  shall  not  again  return  to  the 
subject.  I  have  been  referred  to  the  6th  chap,  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse, in  <  vidence  that  the  word  isqsvs  is  applied  to  the  minis- 
ters of  the  New  Testament.  I  reply,  that  the  passage  speaks 
of  heaven,  where  the  foui-and-twenty  elders  are  represented  as 
singing  to  the  praise  of  the  Lamb  :  but  it  still  remains  for  my 
frierid  to  prove  Aat  the  word  te()evg  is  applied  to  l/ie  ministers  of 
Chrial  on  earth,  so  distinguish  them  from  the  laity.  I  turn  to  the 
first  chap,  of  the  Apocalypse,  and  the  6th  Verse,  and  I  read, 
"  Who  hath  made  us  a  kingdom,  and  priest*  to  God  and  his  Father." 
Here  we  find  the  Apostle,  in  reference  to  heaven,  including 
laics,  as  well  ds  eeclesiastics,  in  the  general  appellation  of  kings 
and  priests.  In  the  1st  of  Peter,  2d  ch.  and  6th  ver.  believers 
on  earth,  generally^  are  called  "  ^aatXeioy  leqaipvitu  ,"  "  a  royal 
priesthood  :"  it  being  evident  from  the  opening  verse  of  the  epis- 
tle, that  it  is  addressed  not  to  ministers  alone,  or  to  the  learned 
exclusively,  but  generally  to  the  strangers  scattered  tiirough  the 
countries,  of  which  the  Apostle  speaks.  The  expression  leqfls 
is,  therefore,  bestowed  on  the  people  of  God  at  large,  and  is  not 


268 


THE    WANT    OP    UNITY    OP 


n  peculiar  designation  of  the  ministers  of  the  New  Testament, 
My  friend  says,  that  Peter  calls  himself  a  priest.  I  turn  to  the 
passage  referred  to,  1st  of  Peter,  5th  chapter,  and  1st  verse,  and 
I  find  the  expression  is  "  (xvfunQea^vieQog,^'  "  fellow-elder,"  not 
legevg.  In  the  Douay  version,  I  find  that  there  also  Peter  in 
the  passage  is  called,  "  an  ancient,"  not  a  priest : 

"The  ancients,  therefore,  tlmt  are  anions;  you,  I  beseech,  who  am  myself 
also  an  ancient,  and  a  witness  of  the  suffenngs  of  Chilst." 

The  term  teqsvg  is  not  even  applied  specially  to  the  Apostles 
thefnselves.  Mr.  Maguire  referred  us  to  John :  let  him  have  the 
kindness  to  mention  the  passage  to  which  he  calls  our  attention, 
and  you  will  be  convinced  that  legevg  is  not  the  term  employed. 

[Mr.  Maguire. — I  spoke  of  Revelations  5th  chapter,  and 
10th  verse.] 

Mr.  Pope. — I  was  under  the  impression  that  you  also  referred 
to  some  other  passage.  But,  to  bring  the  point  to  an  issue  :  I 
maintain,  that  the  word  teqevg  Is  not  applied  exclusively  to  the 
ministers  of  the  New  Testament,  or  even  to  the  Apostles  them 
selves.  I  here  assert,  that  it  is  not  so  applied.  Clirist  spoke 
in  Syriac  ;  and  there  being  no  word  in  the  language  signifying 
"  to  represent,"  he  was  obliged  to  employ  the  auxiliary  verb? 
But  the  Apostle  Paul  wrote  in  Greek,  which  furnishes  a  word 
meaning  "  to  represent;"  yet  he  says,  in  1st  Cor.  10th  chapter, 

"  That  rock  was  Christ."  '  ri  nerpa  r/v  o  Xpiaros. 
Again,  he  says,  Galatians,  4th  chap,  and  24th  verse, 
"  The  one  from  Mount  Sinai  engendering  into  bondage,  which  is  A<»ar." 

"oarts  tariv  Ayap."  " 

Here  the  auxiliary  verb  is  employed  as  denoting  to  represent. 

In  the  quotations  made  by  Mr.  Maguire  throughout  the 
discussion,  he  has  taken  it  for  granted,  that  the  church  of  Rome 
•s  the  church  of  Christ ;  but  I  appeal  to  your  judgments,  whether 
he  hag  been  able  to  prove  the  assumption.  I  admit  that  unity 
should  exist  amongst  the  disciples  of  Christ ;  but  it  should  not 
bo  a  mere  external  and  superficial  unity  :  it  should  be  a  union 
of  aflfection  and  of  doctrine  in  every  essential  point.  This  unity 
I  have  shown  to  exist  in  the  Protestant  churches.  Let  the  creeds 
of  the  English,  Scotch,  Helvetic,  and  other  Protestant  com- 
munions, be  examined.  As  to  the  passage,  ♦»  one  Ibid  and  one 
shepherd  ;"  I  hold,  that  the  Saviour  spoke  of  Jew  and  Gentile 
being  joined  together  in  one  church.     St.  Paul  says, 

"  He  has  broken  down  tlic  middle  wall  of  partition,  and  hath  made  of  twain 
one  new  man." — Ephcc.  ii,  14,  io. 

When  the  Saviour  prays  that  they  all  might  be  one,  he  speaks 
I  admit,  of  his  church  :  but  does  Mr.  Mag  wre  mean  to  say 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES.  269 

that  tho  Pope  is  the  shepherd.  I  have  shown  that  the  Pope  is 
incompetent  to  disc.;arge  the  duties  of  the  office.  Christ  is  that 
shepherd;  as  tho  Apostle  Peter  says,  who  calls  him 

"The  shepherd  and  bishop  of  tlie  soul."— i  Pet.  ii,  25. 

Mr.  Maguire  refers  us  to  the  words  of  the  Saviour's  piayer  foi 
his  disciples, 

"  That  they  may  be  one,  as  thou  Father  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee." 
Now  I  would  ask,  is  the  union  existing  between  the  Father 
and  the  Son  a  sensible,  a  tangible,  a  visible  union  ?  Is  it  not 
evidently  spiritual  in  its  character  ?  A  spiritual  bond  does 
subsist  amongst  the  people  of  God  in  the  Protestant  commu- 
nions. The  supplication  of  our  Lord  and  of  Paul,  that  they  may 
be  of  "  the  same  ir.ind,"  will  be  more  and  more  fulfilled  in  the 
real  and  spiritual  union  of  the  people  of  God.  I  trust  we  shall 
see  them  in  heart  and  hand  still  more  cordially  united  together, 
evidencing  that  there  does  exist  amongst  tb'-m  u  kindred  spiiit- 
ual  affection,  "  where  there  is  neither  Jew,  nor  Greek,  Harba- 
rian,  Scythian,  bond  not  free,  but  Christ  is  all  in  all."— Coloss. 
iii,  11.  These  holy  bonds  will  never  be  dissolved  :  they  survive 
the  stroke  of  death — they  exist  throughout  eternity  ;  and  as  the 
ages  of  immortality  shall  roll  along,  will  they  be  more  and  more 
consolidated,  and  more  closely  linked  together.  My  friend  quotes 
Romans,  xvi,  17. 

J*  Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  to  mark  them  who  make  dissensions  and 
offences,  contrary  to  the  doctrine  which  you  have  loarned,  and  to  avoid  them." 

Mark,  it  is  doctrine  of  which  he  speaks — now  it  is  in  exact 
compliance  with  this  command,  that  we  separate  from  the  church 
of  Rome  ;  because  she  errs  in  doctrine,  and  teaches  the  inven- 
tions of  men,  instead  of  the  commandments  of  God.  Pejhiips 
Mr.  Maguire  would  like  to  hear  a  quotation  from  Augustin,  in 
illustration  of  this  observation.  Many  gave  up  the  scriptures 
in  the  time  of  persecution,  and  were  in  consequence  called 
Traditors.  It  was  urged  on  St.  Augustin  lo  Jeave  the  commu- 
nion of  the  Traditors.     St,  Augustin  then  replies, 

"  Is  it  that  the  Traditors  iiave  instituted  some  newHsacranents,  or  some 
new  baptism  ?  la  it  that  th(!y  iiave  composed  books  to  te  .,  othors  to  do  or 
imit;Ue  the  action  of  the  Traditors,  or  that  thoy  have  recommended  those  books 
to  posterity  or  that  we  hold  and  follow  that  doctrine  ?  If  they  had  done  so, 
antl  suflered  no  person  lo  have  been  in  tiieir  communion,  butthose  who  would 
read  tlieir  i)ooks  and  approve  that  doctrine,  I  say,  that  they  would  have  sepa- 
rated themselves  from  the  unity  of  the  church:  and  if  you  saw  me  in  their 
^hism,  you  would  then  have  reason  to  say,  that  I  were' in  the  church  of  the 
\ raditois."— Augustm  Contr.  Crescon.  lib.  iii,  cap.  38. 

Now  tho  Church  of  Rome  has  introduced  new  sacraments 
and  uncanonical  books,  which  she  has  recommended  to  posterity 
us  divine.     She  suffers  none  in  her  communion  who  do  not  hold 

23* 


270 


THE   WANT    OP    UNITY    OP 


HI 


her  peculiar  opinions,  and  therefore  separates  herself  from  the 
unity  of  the  church  :  and  consequently,according  to  St.  Augustin, 
thev  who  are  in  the  church  of  Rome,  are  in  the  church  of  the 
schismatics. 

Mr.  Maguire  has  asked,  as  it  respects  unity,  what  difference 
is  there  between  discipline  and  doctrine  ?  Mr.  Maguire  himself 
told  us,  that  while  in  essential  matters  the  members  of  the  church 
of  Rome  agreed,  they  do  not  accord  in  matters  of  discipline — 
and  that  men  are  at  liberty  to  exercise  their  judgments  upon  the 
notes  attached  to  the  Douay  Bible. 

As  to  the  passage  relative  to  keeping  the  unity  of  the  spirit, 
you  plainly  perceive  that  it  speaks  of  a  spiritual  unity. 

"  Careful  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace,  one  body  and 
one  spirit,  as  you  are  called  m  one  hope  of  your  calling,  one  Lord,  one  faith, 
one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all,  and  through  all, 
and  in  us  all." — Eph.  iv,  3,  6. 

The  passage  clearly  r.^fers,  not  to  unity  founded  on  non- 
essential points,  but  to  unity  founded  on  the  great  leading  truths 
of  Christianity.  In  the  Protestant  authorized  confessions  of 
faith,  we  can  see  that  there  exists  an  accordance  on  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  revektion. 

Again,  Mr.  Maguire  q.'ot'sd  from  Philippians, 
"  Lot  us  also  continue  in  the  same  rule." 

But  I  beg  your  attention  Ut  ihe  preceding  verse, — 

"If  in  any  thing  you  beotherwi'»e  minded,  this  also  God  will  reveal  to  you." 
— iii,  16.  ° 

This  passage  shows,  that  at  that  time  some  differences  of 
opinion  probably  existed  amongst  them,  and  that  the  Apostles 
did  not  excommunicate  them  for  entertaining  those  differences  ; 
but  assured  them  at  the  same  time  that  God  would  reveal  to 
them  the  truth  on  the  particular  points  concerning  which  differ- 
ences existed.     Mr.  Maguire  has  also  quoted, 

"  If  any  be  contentious  we  have  no  such  custom." — 1  Cor.  xi,  16. 

Mr.  Maguire  and  J.  K.  L.  appear  to  have  fallen  into  a  similar 
misapprehension  of  the  meaning  of  this  passage.—"  No  such 
custom,"  refers  not  to  contentions,  but  to  women  sitting  with 
the  head  uncovered  in  the  assemblies  of  the  saints.  I  find  that 
certain  differences  existed  and  were  allowed,  even  in  the  church 
at  Rome.  We  read  that  one  man  believed  that  he  might  eat  all 
things,  another  that  he  should  eat  herbs.— (Rom.  xiv,  2.)— that 
one  man  esteemed  one  dayabove  another,  while  another  esteemed 
ev6r<j  day  alike. — (5th  v.)  But  what  says  the  Apostle  1 
"  Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in  kis  own  miud."~(5th  v.) 

Or  OS  the  Douay  version  has  it — 

"  Let  every  man  abound  in  his  own  senso." 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


271 


spirit, 


vMr.  Maguire  has  informed  us,  that  the  primitive  church  cast 
out  heretics.  Every  Protestant  churrh,  also,  has  a  right  to 
exchide  from  its  communion,  if  it  pleases.  I  admit  that  the 
Fathers  spoiie  of  one  church ;  but  that  one  church  was  the  mys- 
tical body  of  Christ,  not  confined  to  one  external  communion, 
portions  of  it  belonging  to  the  various  Christian  congregations. 
My  friend  has  referred  us  to  the  passage  of  Cyprian,  "  he  has 
not  God  for  his  Father,  who  has  not  the  church  for  his  mother," 
and  has  twice  quoted  it.  Now  I  say,  that  Cyprian,  in  a  letter 
in  which  he  reprehends  Pope  Stephen,  onpe  employed  that  pa.^- 
eage  in  reference  to  Stephen  himself,  because  he  introduced 
divisions  into  the  church. 

Mr.  Maguire  observes,  that  the  church  was  not  confined  to 
jhe  diocess  of  Rome  ;  that  the  Catholic  church  in  pi  in  itive  times 
was  not  the  church  of  Rome — this  is  precisely  the  same  language 
which  he  employed  before.  St.  Firmilian,  addressing  Pope 
Stephen  says  : 

"  Do  not  deceive  yourself;  you  have  cut  yourself  off  from  the  church  ;  for 
he  IS  truly  a  schismatic  wiio  haa  made  himself  an  apostate  from  tlje  commu- 
nion of  ecclesiastical  unity  :  for  while  you  think  you  can  excommunicate  all 
other  churches  from  you,  you  liave  only  excommunicated  yourself  from  them." 
Uyp.  Ep.  75,  p.  228,— Edii.  Oxon. 

St.  Gregory  the  Great  remarks  : 

"  If  the  church  come  to  depend  upon  one,  it  must  certainly  fall.'» 

And  St.  Cyprian  says  : 

"  That  therefore  Christ  made  the  college  of  bishops  numerous,  that  if  ono 
should  tail  or  turn  heretical,  the  rest  might  interfere  for  the  savin"  of  tlia 
flock."  ° 

For  he  says  : 

"  There  is  but  one  flock,  and  one  episcopate,  of  which  every  bishop  has 
the  whole  in  partnership  with  the  rest." 
"  Episcopatus  unus  est,  cujus  a  singulis  in  solidum  pars  tenetur." 

The  historian  Socrates,  who  carried  on  Eusebius's  Ecclesias- 
tical  History  from  the  year  329,  to  the  year  440,  informs  us, 
that  a  great  diversity  existed  among  the  difierent  churches  in 
respect  to  ceremonies  and  discipline,  especially  with  -espcct  to  the 
marriage  of  persons  in  holy  orders.  He  remarks,  that  the  Apostle 
did  not  give  any  directions  about  holy  days,  their  only  design 
being  to  teach  faith  and  virtue.  He  also  says,  that  ther"  were 
scarcely  two  churches  which  exactly  agreed  on  the  subject  of 
prayers  ;  and  concludes  by  observing,  that  to  give  a  catalogue 
of  all  the  rites  and  customs  in  use  among  Christians  in  all  cities 
and  countries,  would  be  very  difficult,  it'  not  imposeUjle. — (L. 
y,  c.  22.)  St.  Irenaeus  notices,  in  ternis  rather  cV  commenda- 
tion than  censure,  the  diversity  of  fasts  among  his  contemporary 
brethren. — Ap.  Euseb,  1,  v,c.  22.  Polycarp,  bishop  of  Smyrna, 


272 


THE    WANT   OP    UNITT    OF 


ll 


and  Anicetus,  Bishop  of  Rome,  held  irreconcilably  oopostte 
opinions  respecting  the  time  of  celebrating  Easter";  yet  they 
did  not  violate  Christian  unity,  as  their  less  worthy  successors 
have  done  on  the  same  custom— the  latter,  as  Eusebius  states 
having  permitted  the  former  to  administer  the  eucharist  in  his 
church.     With  regard  to  the  re -baptizing  those  who  had  been 
baptized  by  heretics,  the  church  of  Africa,  adopting  the  imme- 
morial^ usage  of  the  apcient  churches  of  Cappadocia,  Cilicia, 
and  Galalia,  differed  from  that  of  Rome  ;  yet  this  difference 
occasioned  no  schism  between  them.     St.  Cyprian,  some  will 
be  surprised  to  learn,  held  washing  the  feet  to  bo  a  sacrament  : 
and  St.  Augustin  differed  from  St.  Jerome,  respecting  the  intro- 
duction of  Jewish  rites  and  usages  into  the  Christian  church  ; 
but  they  did  not  depart  from  Christian  charity.  From  the  wiitin<rs 
of  St.  Irenaeus,  St.  Firmilian,  and  Justin  Martyr,  we  learn,  that 
they  who  required  conformity  in  matters,  not  evidently  funda- 
mental on  scriptural  grounds,  were  regarded   as   violators  of 
Christian  unity.— (Iren.  Ap.  Euseb.  1.  v,  c.  24.     Firm.  Ap 
Cyp.  ep.  75,  J.  Mart.  Dial,  cum  Tryph.) 

Hear  the  sentiment  laid  down  in  the  Maynooth  class  book. 
p.  17  : 

"  SchismaticB,  even  those  who  should  not  err  in  doctrine,  by  the  act  of 
Bchism  alone  are  excluded  from  Ihe  church,  and  are  without  the  wav  o 
salvation."  ^ 

Or  in  other  words,  those,  however  correct  their .  doctrines,  who 
senurate  from  the  church  of  Rome,  are  excluded  from  the  church 
of  Christ,  and  are  without  the  way  of  salvation !  I  assert  thai 
the  unity  subsisting  in  the  church  of  Rome  is  a  unity  without 
exaniination.  Since  the  commencement  of  the  discussion,  I 
received  a  letter  from  London,  as  did  Mr.  Tuaguire  also  (for  the 
letter  to  me  states  that  a  duplicate  was  sent  to  Mr.  Mao^uire  ) 
It  is  signed  «'  An  Inquirer  after  Truth."  The  writer  remarks, 
that  before  the  discussions  took  place  in  Ireland,  his  mind  was 
not  troubled  with  doubts— but  that  since  these  were  held,  he  has 
been  reading  the  scriptures  under  the  direclion  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  and  finds  many  difficulties 
raised  in  his  mind  in  reference  to  the  sacred  volume.  The  unity 
of  the  church  of  Rome  is,  in  truth,  a  unity  that  will  not  bear 
ihe  test  of  examination. 

»Ve  have  heard  of  the  faith  c  jollier  commended  by 

Cardinal  Bellarmine.  The  collier,  wnen  asked  what  it  was  he 
believed,  answered  :  "  a  believe  what  the  chu/ch  believes." 
The  other  rejoined—"  What  then  does  the  church  believe  ?" 

_-_    --^ .  _..^  ,,   ,.,_jicrca   -.vnai  1    ucneve," 

The  other  anxious  to  bring  him  to  the  point,  once  more  resumed 
his  inquiry :     "  Tell  me  then,  I  pray  you,  what  it  is  which  you 


THE  PROrr.STANT  CHURCHF.«». 


273 


and  the  church  believer'     The  only  answer  the  collier  could 
give,  was — "  Why,  truly,  Sir,  the  church  arid  I,  both  believe  the 
same  thing." — See  Bellarmine  de  arte  bene  moriendi,  lib.  ii,  ch.  9. 
Hear  a  schoolman.     Gabriel  Byel  maintains  that, 

"  If  he  who  implicitly  believes  the  church,  should  tliink,  misled  by  natural 
reason,  that  the  Father  is  greater  than  the  Son,  and  existed  betbre  him,  or  that 
the  three  Persons  are  things  locally  distant  from  one  another,  or  the  like,  he 
is  not  a  heretic,  nor  sins,  provided  he  do  not  defend  this  error  pertinaciously, 
for  ho  believes  what  he  does  believe,  because  l.e  thinks  that  the  church  believes 
so,  subjecting  his  opinion  to  the  faith  of  the  church.  For  though  his  opinion 
be  erroneous,  his  opinion  is  not  his  faith,  nay  his  faith  in  contradiction  to  his 
opinions,  is  the  faith  of  the  church.  What  is  still  more,  this  implicit  faith  not 
only  defends  from  heresy  and  sin,  but  even  constitutes  merit  in  heterodoxy 
itselt,  and  prese-'/cs  in  that  merit  one  who  forms  a  most  heterodox  opinion, 
because  he  thinks  the  church  believes  so." — Dr.  CampbeWa  Lectures  on  Eccl. 
His.  vol.  ii,  p.  259. 

Mr.  Maguire. — With  espect  to  the  6th  chapter  of  St.  John, 
I  do  assert,  and  I  beg  the  public  to  bear  it  in  mind,  that  the 
expression  tegevg  is  applied  to  the  twenty-four  who  sat  around 
the  throne,  and  were  called  neither  more  nor  less  than  Presby- 
ters. I  am  satisfied  to  let  the  passage  be  examined  by  any 
learned  man  ;  I  here  offer  to  submit  the  question  to  the  adjudi- 
cation of  any  two  individuals. — Let  Mr.  Pope  select  or*  and  I 
shall  select  another,  and  then  let  them  examine  the  conte>  Mr. 
Pope  has  recurred  to  the  quibble  about  the  difference  bt  veen 
ihe  church  of  Rome  and  the  Catholic  church.  I  appeal  to  »ur- 
selves  if  I  have  not  quoted  upwards  of  twenty  Fathers  in  refu- 
tation of  the  idle  argument  which  Mr.  Pope  endeavours  to 
construct  on  this  matter.  Have  J  not  amply  shown  that  the  term 
♦'  Catholic,"  was  applied  to  all  the  churches  in  Asia,  in  Africa, 
en  Spain,  in  Gaul,  &c,  &c,  holding  communion  with  the  See  cf 
Rome  ?  I  have  proved  that  the  holy  Fathers  all  agreed  in  this 
interpretation  of  the  words  "  Catholic  church."  It  is  a  mere 
play  upon  words  with  which  my  opponent  has  amused  you.  I 
have  laid  before  you  abundant  evidence  that  before  the  Reform- 
ation, there  existed  no  other  church  which  claimed  to  itself  the 
title  of  "  Catholic,"  but  the  church  of  Rome.  With  regard  to 
the  doctrine  which  Mr.  Pope  has  broached,  on  the  subject  of 
unity,  I  will  only  say,  that  all  sects  in  thp  ;:  ■■?  a-'^  in  the  spirit 
of  union,  according  to  Mr.  Pope.  But  out  Saviour  has  com- 
pared the  unity  of  his  church  to  the  u  lo,;  .^ubsisting  between 
him  and  his  heavenly  Father  ;  therefore,  that  union  must  be  of 
a  most  intimate  nature,  and  the  church  must  endeavour  to  imitate 
the  wonderful  union  existing  between  God  tha  Father,  and  Cod 
the  Son,  and  God  the  iioiy  Ghost.  With  legdru  to  the  differ- 
ences of  which  Mr.  Pope  spoke,  as  existing  in  the  Catholic 
church,  they  involve  not  principles,  and  that  is  a  sufficient  answer 


274 


THE    WANT    OP    UNITY    OP 


to  his  very  silly  objectitm  relative  to  the  Dominicans,  the  Fran- 
ciscans, and  the  Jesuits.     Mr.   Pope  has  also  introduced  the 
Jansenists — they  were  long  since  condemned  by  the  Catholic 
church  in  the  bull  Unigenitus.  As  to  St.  Ambrose,  I  have  already 
quoted  at  length  his  opinions  on  the  necessity  of  unity.     With 
respect  to  texts  of  scripture,  I  fearlessly  appeal  to  every  gentle- 
man who  hears  me,  whether  I  have  not  brought  forward  more 
texts  of  scripture   than   Mr.  Pope — whether  my  texts  have  not 
been  clearly  and  decisively  in  support  of  the  doctrine  which  I 
mamtain— and  whether  Mr.  Pope  has  not  offered  violence  to  the 
meaning  of  scripture,  by  the  strange  and  far-fetched  interpreta- 
tions which  he  has  sought  to  impose  upon  this  learned  assembly  ? 
I  ask  any  candid  man  here,  whether  Mr.  Pope's  explanations  of 
some  texts  have  not  been  more  difficult  and  abstruse  than  the  texts 
themselves  ?     If  such  be  not  the  fact,  I  know  nothing  of  scrip- 
ture.    What  right  has  Mr.  Pope  to  set  up  his  private  judgment 
m  preference  to  the  opinions  of  the  Apostles  who  were  inspired? 
He  quoted  Ihe  royal  prophet  as  to  the  eastern  kings  who  had 
cornbmed  against  God  ;  and  he  introduced  this  as  an  argument 
against  the  existence  of  unity  in  the  Catholic  church  °   Was 
there  a  church  established  then?     If  there  were,  he  must  then, 
to  sustam  his  arguments,  prove  that  it  was  lawful  for  the  eastern 
king  I   to  divide  themselves  from  that  church,  and  to  become 
sch    matics. 

>  there  were  not  a  church  government  then  existing,  his 
argument  falls  to  the  ground.  I  have  laid  before  you  this  day, 
plain  and  obvious  texts  of  scripture,  regarding  the  necessity  of 
unity  in  the  church  of  Christ.  The  doctrine  which  I  advocate, 
I  have  shown  to  be  distinctly  founded  upon  scripture.  I  have 
defied  Mr.  Pope  to  show,  that  in  regard  to  unity,  there  is  any 
distinctiorv  made  between  essentials  and  non-essentials  in  scrip- 
ture. The  texts  which  have  been  quoted  equally  refer  to  matters 
of  discipline,  and  of  doctrine.  If  men  will  not  be  united— if 
divisions,  no  matter  how  they  originate,  will  exist;  if  people 
become  split  into  sects  and  parties,  and  endeavour  to  tear  their 
common  parent  asunder,  surely  the  evil  is  not  to  be  laid  at  the 
door  of  the  Catholic  church.  She  is  not  to  be  held  accountable 
for  those  of  her  children  who  may  disobey  her— who  violate 
charity,  and  disturb  that  peace  which  our  Lord  bequeathed  to 
his  church — 

"My  peace  1  leave  you— my  peace  I  give  you ;  not  as  the  world  eiveth  do 
I  give  you."  ^ 

No  plea— no  pretext  can  ever  justify  -  departure  from  that 

Christiiin    hnrmnnv.  nf  wWinh    r»ii>-  •^qirlrtn.'   . — *   —    i.     .1 

—       -  J-' —    ~- -rtr.v-T!t   cTis.  .^:s  t-Auiitpjc.  me 

necessity  of  which  we  find  recommended  fro.n  his  sacred  l.ps, 
and  which  he  bequeathed  to  his  church,  to  be  observed  aad' 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


£75 


maintained  without  condition  or  alteration,  unto  the  end  of  the 
world — 

"My  feace  I  leave  you — my  peace  I  give  you ;  not  as  the  world  givcth  do 
I  gi\'e  you." — John,  xiv,  27. 

Mr.  Pope  quotes  the  holy  Fathers ;  it  is  rather  extraordinary, 
indeed,  that  the  Fathers  should  be  quoted  to  show  that  unity  in 
the  church  is  not  necessary.  They  affirm  that  there  is  no  having 
the  inheritance  of  Peter  without  the  faith  of  Peter.  So  I  believe. 
There  can  be  no  inheritance  possessed  without  faith  ;  and  there  , 
can  be  no  real  faith,  according  to  scripture,  where  there  is  not 
rhftrity  and  Christian  union.  I  have  proved  that  the  unity  which 
is  commanded  by  our  Saviour,  which  was  preached  by  the 
Apostles,  and  which  was  taught  by  their  disciples  in  the  first 
ages  of  Christianity,  exists  alone  in  the  Catholic  church.  Mr 
Pope  says  that  the  unity  which  exists  among  Protestants  is  sut 
ficient.  I  call  upon  him  to  prove  his  position  upon  the  authority 
of  the  word  of  God.  He  has  quoted  the  church  of  Rome  with 
regard  to  councils,  &c,  to  show  that  she  had  not  unity.  But 
since  the  Reformation,  it  is  admitted  by  Protestants,  that  they 
have  no  such  unity.  The  illustrious  Grotius  lamented  the 
schisms  which  existed  among  Protestants  in  his  days ;  and  he 
said  it  would  be  almost  better  to  return  to  Popery  than  to  remain 
divided  as  they  were.  Luther  himself  threatened  to  return  to 
Popery  if  their  divisions  increased.  When  he  saw  Calvin 
denying  openly  the  real  presence  of  Christ  in  the  euchaiist,  he 
lamented  that  he  had  ever  quitted  Popery. 

With  regard  to  councils,  the  assertions  of  Mr.  Pope  are  mere 
assumptions,  and  it  is  a  well  known  rule  in  logic,  that  'quod 
frratis  asseiitur,  gratis  negari  debet.'  I  again  challenge  Mr, 
Pope  to  show  from  scripture  the  distinction  between  essentials 
and  non-essentials.  I  call  upon  him  to  prove  tioit  thf  re  is  a 
distinction  drawn  in  scripture  between  doctrine  and  discipline. 
He  must  prove  that  there  is  a  di(ferenc«  upon  an  article  of  fiiith 
or  tiiat  there  exists  a  distinct  breach  of  communion  in  the  Cath- 
olic church,  in  order  to  establish  his  position,  that  she  does  not 
possess  unily.  Differences  as  to  private  opinions  amongst  pri- 
vate individuals  he  may  prove,  but  these  individuals  did  not 
disturb  that  peace,  and  concord,  and  unity,  which  Christ  left  to 
his  church,  and  which  form  some  of  the  noblest  maiks — the 
most  powerful  arguments  of  her  di  ine  origin. 

He  may  show  the  existence  of  ditlerences,  not  relaiJang  to 
matters  of  faith  or  discipline  in  the  church,  but  tl^y  are  met  dif- 
ferences of  opinion  which  place  those  who  entertain  them  oat 


.,r  .k_  _i- L 


Tf  .   »i_  -   .. _. •  ^ .c  1-  j:ii* ^-j^ 

xi.w  iiiUV'  prove  iiic  CAtoiciicc  o.  ouuis  cr^iXdv^Ai^' 


V  P' 


but  a  breach  of  communion  he  cannot  establish.     He  asks  for 
proofs  timt  Peter  was  appoiated  the  head  of  the  church.     I  thmk 


276 


THE    WANT    OF    UNITY    OF 


■^ 


1  have  furnished  ample  proofs  of  the  fact.  He  asserts  that  It  is 
robbing  Christ  of  his  rights.  This  is  a  mere  play  upon  words. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  Christ  in  heaven  is  the  sole  and  invisible 
head  of  the  church — but  knowing  the  frailties  of  man,  our  Lord 
deemed  it  necessary,  in  order  to  preserve  the  principle  of  unity, 
to  appoint  a  visible  head  of  his  church  to  act  as  his  instrument 
and  agent  upon  earth.  Is  there  ought  in  this  derogatory  from 
tho  majesty  of  God?  Is  not  the  king  the  visible  head  of  ihe- 
-•  established  church  of  England  1  His  majesty,  no  doubt,  will 
be  highly  pleased  with  Mr.  Pope  for  denying  his  spiritual  supe- 
riority. I  always  imagined  that  his  majesty  was  the  head  of  the 
Protestant  church  in  these  countries — the  centre  and  bond  of 
w  nnection  to  keep  it  together.  He  is  to  preserve  the  homilies 
M.d  the  thirty-nine  articles,  and  not  to  allow  even  the  slightest 
d'^-viation  to  be  made  from  them.  They  contain  certain  rules 
jespecting  faith  and  discipline  in  the  Protestant  church,  and  the 
king  is  bound  by  oath  not  to  suffer  the  slightest  deviation  from 
them.  The  king  swears  to  support  the  establishment,  and  the 
test  act  excludes  all  from  situations  unless  they  take  oaths  which 
bind  as  to  certain  forms  and  rules  of  faith.  The  elements  of 
union  have  been  scattered  in  the  Protestant  churches,  and  they 
can  never  again  be  brought  into  combination.  I  should  be  glad 
to  know  from  Mr.  Pope,  what  did  our  Saviour  mean  when  he 
said  to  Peter : 

"Simon  Barjona,  lovest  thou  me  more  than  these;  hesaith  to  him,  dear 
Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He  saith  to  him,  Feed  my  Lambs," 
John,  xxi,  17. 

Our  Saviour  repeated  the  interrogatory ;  Peter  made  a  similar 
reply,  and  our  Saviour  again  said  ;  "  Feed  my  Lambs."  But 
when  he  repeated  the  question  a  third  time,  Peter  became 
troubled,  and  exclaimed  ;  "  Lord  thou  knowest  all  things — 
Thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee."  Our  Saviour  then  said  to 
him  :  "  Feed  my  sheep." 

Now,  I  defy  the  ingenuity  of  my  friend  to  explain  away  these 
words.  This  address  was  not  mads  to  the  other  Apostles,  but 
personally  and  individually  to  Peter.  There  is  nothing  in  the 
fold  of  Christ  but  sheep  and  lambs  (clergy  and  laity)  ;  over 
them  Peter  was  appointed  supreme  pastor,  and  invested  with  the 
authority  of  government.     Our  Lord  afterwards  says  to  Peter : 

"  I  will  give  to  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  whatsoever 
thou  shalt  bind  upon  earth,  it  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven,  and  whatsoever 
thou  shalt  loose  upon  earth,  it  shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven." 

Could  Mr.  Pope  quote  any  text  of  scripture  against  me  equally 
as  plain  and  obvious  as  the  foregoing  ?  Was  he  able  to  adduce 
any  direct  text  in  support  of  his  private  interpretation — while  on 
tho  other  hand  I  proved  all  my  doctrines  by  manifest  texts  ot 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


277 


icnpture,  and  upon  the  words  of  Christ  and  his  Apostles.  Mr. 
Pope  endeavours  to  show  that  Peter  could  not  be  the  successo\ 
of  Christ,  as  this  evil  would  follow  that  the  successor  of  Peter 
would  he  a  greater  man  than  St.  John  the  evangelist,  who  lived 
after  the  death  of  Peter.  To  such  straights  has  my  opponent 
been  reduced.  He  cannot  deny  that  Peter  had  a  successor. 
VVhy  not  prove  that  some  difference  on  matters  of  faith  arose 
between  him  and  St.  John  1  But  the  successors  of  Peter  were 
blessed  with  humility,  charity,  and  divine  faith— the  first  thirty- 
tour  of  them  suffered  martydom.  If  they  had  happened  to  have 
a  difference,  they  would  have  recurred  to  St.  John  for  his  advice 
and  guidance— but  that  would  not  be  denying  their  right  to  sue- 
ceed  Peter,  as  the  visible  head  of  the  church  on  earth. 

R.11^^^  ""?'"  ^"^t  °"''  Saviour,  "being  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your 
teet,  you  also  ought  to  wash  one  another's  feet." 

That  act,  I  affirm,  with  the  Catholic  church,  to  be  an  act  of 
humility,  not  a  precept— but  it  is,  to  all  appearance,  a  positive 
precept,  and  I  repeatedly  called  on  my  friend  to  show  by  what 
authority  he  neglected  to  observe  it.     He  drew  a  distinction 
indeed  between  hot  and  cold  climates,  and  the  greater  necessity 
which  exists  for  washing  the  feet  in  the  former  than  in  the  latter. 
IJut  no  such  distinction  is  drawn  in' the  text— the  commandment 
oi  the  Saviour  is  not  to  be  regulated  by  hot  and  cold  countries. 
He  talks  of  the  council  of  Jerusalem,"  and  of  Peter  having 
spoken  first— if  Peter  had  spoken  last  what  would  that  be  to  the 
argument?     St.  James  gave  a  good  advice,  which  was  inspired 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  because  it  was  adopted  by  Peter,  there- 
fore Peter  could  not  be  the  head  of  the  Churca !     This  conclu- 
sion is  certainly  not  agreeable  to  the  premises— He  says  that 
no  Pope  claimed  the  title  of  ecumenical  pastor  until  the  year 
6(10— why  there  was  no  such  word  as  ecumenical  in  existence 
till  that  period.    .The  word 'consubstantiality' is  not  in  scrip- 
ture, and  does  not  occur  till  300  years  after  the  Apostles,  when 
^•f    r  i'^ '"  ^^^  Athanasian  creed,  and  the  decrees  of  the  coun- 
cil of  Nice.     If  Mr.  Pope's  argument  then  on  this  head  be  valid 
againstthesupremacy  of  thePope,  it  is  equally  valid  against 
the  Athanasian  creed,  and  he  should  deny  both.     I  admit  the 
fact  of  Stephen  throwing  the  body  of  the  Pope  into  the  Tyber, 
and  the  greater  scoundrel  he  was,  I  aflirm,  for  so  doing.     I 
admit  there  were  some  bad  characters  among  the  Popes.     But 
1  have  already  drawn  a  distinction  between  infallibility  and  im- 
peccability.    Besides,  I  never  said  that  the  infallibility  of  the 
Pope   formed   a   portion  of  my  creed.     Christ  promised  his 

Cnilrr.n     thai     c-Vi*»     i»^.,M     r_'l    ;^    ,i         r«  •■,      .       .    .>      . 

.„,.    rr^jui^  never  mil  in  me  raun,  out  mat  promise 

never  implied,  that  her  children  should  be  incapable  of  sin.     As 
1  have  already  told  you.  *here  were  eleven  monstrous  bad  Popes 

24 


278 


THK    WANT    OF    UNITf    OF 


out  of  nearly  three  hundred  good  and  virtuous  characters  which 
adorned  the  chair  of  Peter.     Surely  that  is  a  vast  majority  to 
counterhalance  the  few  bad-names.    Ilonoriua  was  not  a  heretic. 
It  was  not  for  heresy  that  he  was  deposed,  but  because  he  had 
been  put  into  the  chair  by  temporal  power.     He  was  suspected 
of  being  favourable  to  the  Monotholites  ;  but  I  deny  that  it  was 
ever  proved  that  he  was  a  Monoiholite  himself.     I  venture  to 
aflinn,  that  Mr.  Po[)o  will  be  called  to  an  account  for  having 
denied  the  king's  supremacy ;  and  it  will  be  necessary,  perhapsT, 
for  some  of  his  friends  to  intercede  for  him  with  li-s  majesty, 
lest,  like  Chancellor  Moore  and  Bishop  Fisher,  he  be,  without 
further  ceremony,  cotnmitted  to  the  tower.     In  that  <'ase  he 
may,  for  once,  have  to  acknowledge  the  efficacy  of  the  interces- 
sion of  saints.     I  maintain,  that  tf  (.evs  is  applied  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament to  the  Apostles.     «ut  whether  it  b     or  not,  does  not 
niuch  matter  for  the  argument.     There  i         sacrificing  priest 
m  the  strict  sense  of  the  term,  but  Christ  himself,  who  is  at  once 
the  priest  and  victim,  who  is  ofl'ered  up  as  a  perpetual  sacrifice 
to  fulfill  the  prophecy  of  Malachy,  that  in  all  parts  of  the  world 
a  sacrifice  shall  be  otfered  to  the  '  ord. 

"For  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  tlie  going  down  of  the  same,  my  name 
IS  great  among  tlie  Gentiles;  and  '  ivery  place  a  sacrifice  is  made,  and  a 
clean  oblation  otfered  to  my  nam.  ;  because  my  name  is  great  amon«r  the 
Gentiles,  saith  the  Lord  of  H  sfs."  .<  »  o 

If  there  had  been  only  a  single  sacrifice  oflered  up  in  Jeru- 
salem, according  to  Mr.  Pope,  then  this  prophecy  of  Malachy 
would  not  have  been  fulfilled.  Mr.  Pope  has,  by  weak  and  idle 
arguments,  endeavoured  to  show  that  there  could  have  been  no 
successor  to  Christ.  If  Christ  left  a  sacrifice  and  appointed  a 
successor  in  his  church,  neither  blasphemy  nor  wickedness  can 
be  imputed  to  those  who  believe  the  fact.— Christ  promised  that 
his  church  would  never  fail,  and  that  he  would  r'^ninin  with  her 
in  spirit,  till  the  consummation  of  ages.  But  Mr.  Pope,  to  sus- 
tain his  argument,  must  prove  that  the  whole  church  was  for  the 
space  of  90;»  years  buried  in  darkness  and  error.  Let  those 
who  will,  believe  it — I  want  not  to  make  the  Pope  greater  than 
other  men.  He  is,  like  myself,  a  man,  liable  to  the  frailties  of  hu- 
man nature.    The  infallibility  of  the  Pope  is  no  doctrine  of  mine. 

Mr.  Pope  says,  that  he  does  not  differ  on  essentials  with  the 
church  of  England,  and  yet  he  denies  more  than  one  half  of  her 
articles  of  faith.  Either  he  holds  them  essential  or  he  does  not. 
In  the  latter  case  his  separation  is  unjustifiable,  and  he  evidently 
shows  that  he  misunderstands  the  maxims  of  the  gospel :  he  rends 
the  seamless  garment  of  Christ  without  cause.  He  should  not 
t-"  iitiiiii- It  ;s=wn3  tii:iiuiu  iiiai  ijuisuuny  wiiicn  unnsi  orciained 
should  subsist  between  the  members  of  his  church — he  should 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


279 


ler 


I 


continue  to  hold  communion  with  the  hishops  of  the  established 
chunh,  and  not  set  up  a  conventicle  of  his  own.  He  should  not 
break  communion  ne  in  minima  particula.  The  holy  P'athers 
held  schism  and  disunion  to  be  mortal  sins.  Mr.  Pope  spoke 
ofa  letter  uhich  he  had  received  from  London,  and  which  he 
would  have  us  suppose  came  from  a  reformed  Catholic,  another 
Blanco  White.  But  lalet  anguis  in  herha.  I  got  a  copy  of  the 
same  too.  I  suspect  that  it  came  from  the  opposite  pni  ty,  nnd 
was  intended  to  frighten  me  from  this  discussion.  It  was  prolia- 
biy  a  ruse  employed  to  make  me  rf  'reat,  that  my  friend  then, 
instead  of  suffering  a  defeat,  might  raise  the  shout  of  victory. 

Mr.  Tope.— As  to  the  word  leqev;  in  the  5th  of  the  apoca- 
lypse, the  term  in  that  passage  is  clearly  bestowed  upon  pres- 
byters in  heaven.     My  friend  lias  appealed  to  any  learned  men 
on  the  subject.     He  may  prefer  an  ecclesiastic  ;    I  therefore 
nominate  Mr.  Singer ;  let  Mr.  Maguire  name  his  referee.   \^Mr. 
Chjnch  was  then  named  by  Mr.  Maguire,']     Mr.  Maguire  has 
not  answered  my  quotation  from  the'Psalms,  on  the  ground  in 
which  I  made  it.     I  brought  it  forward  merely  as  evidence,  that 
unity,  abstractedly  considered,  is  not  a  proof  of  the  true  church. 
As  to  the  distinction  of  essentials  and  non-essentials,  I  have 
.shown  that  it  was  recognized  by  St.  Paul,  in  the  differences 
which  existed  in  the  church  of  Rome  in  his  day,  and  which  he 
allowed  to  continue.     The  scriptures,  therefore,  does  make  this 
distinction.     The  sacred  volume,  Mr.  Maguire  asserts,  requires 
an  agreement  in  discipline  as  well  as  in  matters  of  faith  ;  and 
yet  he  before  informed  us  that  the  church  of  Rome  agrees,  not 
in  matters  of  discipline,  but  in  matters  of  faith,  and  has  therefore 
contradicted  himself.     I  have  already  entered  into  the  question 
of  the  apocryphal  books,  and  shall  not  now  reconsider  it.     Ac- 
cording to  Mr.  Maguire,  the  church  has  huo  heads — Christ  and 
the  Pope:  so  it  appears  that  Mr.  Maguire  thereby  makes  the 
church  of  Christ  a  monster.     He  refers  me  to  the  Saviour's 
address  to  Peter,  "Feed  my  sheep."— Augustine,  (De  Agone 
Christ,  c.  30)  and  Ambrose,  (De  Dign.  Sacred,  p.  336)  as  I 
have  already  shown,  declare  it  as  their  opinion,  that  Christ  gave 
this  privilege  not  to  Peter  only,  but  to  all  pastors.     As  Peter 
had  denied  the  Saviour,  our  Lord  saw  it  necessary  to  re-instate 
him  in  the  apostolic  office ;  thrice  did  he  address  him  in  doing 
so,  in  reference  to  his  threefold  denial.     Here   observe,  that 
Irenieus  informs  us,  that  Peter  was  not  the  only  founder  of  the 
chui  ch  of  Rome,  but  Paul  also : 

J'  Fundantes  igitnr  et  instuentet  beati  npostoli  (Petrus  et  Paiilua,)  ecclesiam 
(Koiiianan)  Lino  episcopatum  administrandae  ectkaijc  tiadideiunt.  !Suc- 
cedit  autemei  Anacletus.  Post  eum  tertio  loco  ab  apostolia  episcopatura 
eortitur  Clemens." 


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THE    WANT    OF    UNITY    OF 


in.r  I!^m        i^P^'^^l^^  therefore,  (Peter  and  Paul,)  founding  and  arran.^. 

r  ii.,   ^iTT^  ""'■"^''  ^'^'"^^'•^•^  *''^  episcopate  for  goveruing'the  chun5?U, 

A.  l;,,/?"rf  ""'"'f  "^  '^'^'"'.^^  '°  '''"'=  •'"^^  »>""' '»  ^^^  ihfrd  place,  fVom 
the  opoWZe*,  Clement  obtains  the  episcopate."  *^       ' 

My  friend  has  said,  ifChrist  appointed  the  Popes  as  supreme, 
the  exercise  of  their  office  would  not  be  an  assuuiption— but  the 
appointment  is  the  very  matter  at  issue.     Wo  have  no  ground 
either  from  reason  or  scripture  to  prove,  that  the  Pope  should 
be  regarded  as  supreme  bishop.     As  to  the  supremacy  of  Peter: 
U  mer  was  bishop  of  Rome,  is  it  not  remarkable,  that  Paul,  in 
writing  to  the  church  of  Rome,  should  not  mention  the  name  of 
Peter  I  and  after  Paul  had  gone  to  that  city,  is  it  not  strange 
that  he  should  make  no  mention  of  Peter  in  bis  epistles  written 
1  mT      i  f  1^1  ^°  ^^''^!''^  churches.     In  the  4th  of  Colossians, 
lUth  and  11th  verse,  he  says,  that  only  Aristachus,  and  Mark, 
and  Justus,  were  his  helpers  in  the  kingdom  of  God  :   if  Peter 
had  been  at  Rome,  ^vould  he  not  mention  him  as  a  fellow-helper? 
On  his  trial  all  fled  -(2  Timothy,  iv,  16.)     Are  we  to  suppose 
that  Peter  forsook  him  m  the  hour  of  his  extremity.     If  Peter 
were  really  the  bishop  of  Rome,  I  think  you  will  agree  with  me, 
tha  he  was  at  least  non-resideul.     I  am  told  by  Mr.  Maguire 
that  there  were  at  least  eleven  bad  Popes.     This  is  a  great 
acknowledgment.     Genebrard,  a  Roman  Catholic  writer,  how- 
ever, informs  us,  that 

ad"/ponpr?v  ^'^  •  f :  ^""^''^''^  *='''''*^'"  ^°'  "  J°"*""«  «ci»cet  octavo  usque 
ad  L.eonem  IX,  a  virtute  majorem  prorsus  defecerunt,  apostatici  potius  ouam 

So  that  we  have  about  60  bad  Popes  instead  of  1 1.     A  proof 
hat  Pope  Honorius  was  a  Monotholite  heretic,  shall  appear  in 
the  printed  report.*  ^^ 

My  friend  has  admitted,  that  there  is  no  such  officer 

IN    THE    CHURCH  OF    ChRIST  AS  A  SACRIFICING    PRIEST.       Mr 

u  fl"r  .  ^'"°*®''  ""  passage  from  the  book  of  Malachy.  I 
hold  that  the  oblation  there  spoken  of,  is  the  sacrifice  of  praise 
and  thanksgiving,  and  spiritual  service:  the  repitition  of  the 
sacrifice  of  Christ  would  imply,  that  the  sacrifice  on  Calvarv 
was  insufficient.  " 

of*t5  aSve'SeC?"  "■'""  '*"'''"•  *  ^""^  ^^''^'>"«=  •>"'^''"»". '»  ifven  fn  proof 
inis  lart  according  to  their  own  interest  "orme"iudieesTl,U  will' «".V.T      J"''*'^  "' 


t 


THE    PROIESTANT    CHURCHES. 


£81 


m 


«I  beseech  you  by  the  mercies  of  God,  (saith  the  apostle)  tJiat  ye  present 
^ZoSr  *  ''r'"?  sacrifice,  holy  and  acceptable  unto  G^T^Uh  fs  yoJr 
reasonable  service."— (Rom.  xii.  1.)  •     ^ 

I  called  your  attention  to  a  letter  which  I  had  received.  It  is 
strange  that  the  same  idea  should  have  occurred  to  my  mind 

r  A^®  i?  *^^  '''"^''''V  '  imagined,  that  it  came  from  a  friend 
of  Mr.  Magmre's.  I  here  solemnly  declare,  that  I  know  not 
the  author,  or  any  thing  whatever  of  the  matter,  save,  that  the 

etter  came  through  the  post-office  to  me.     I  will  now  show  you 
that  divisions  have  existed  in  the  church  of  Rome.     The  Fran- 
ciscans held  the  immaculate  conception  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  the 
Doranicans  denied  it.     We  read  of  the  buttles  between  the 
Uommicans  and  Jesuits  in  two  popedoms— the  Dominicans 
urging  the  doctrine  of  unconditional  degrees.     The  Jesuits  and 
Jansemsts  maintained  a  warfare  from  1642  to  1705.     As  the 
members  of  the  church  at  Corinth  were  censured  by  the  Apostles 
for  saying,  "I  am  of  Paul,  and  I  of  Apollos,  and  I  of  Cephas  •» 
how  can  these  parties  escape  a  similar  censure,  by  their  prefer- 
ence for  one  person  as  their  peculiar  general— one  saying  I  am 
of  Benedict— another,  I  am  of  Francis— and  another,  Tam  of 
IJominick.     In  the  controversy  between  the  Jesuits  and  Janse- 
nists,  there  appeared  from  the  press,  the  "Torch  of  St.  Augus- 
tin,     "Snuffers  for  St.  Augustin's  Torch,"  and  lastly,  "A  Gag 
for  the  Jansenists."     Soon  after  the  Bull  Unigenitus  was  issued, 
and  by  this  document  the  purest  part  of  the  church  of  Rome  was 
put  down— witness  the  demolition  of  Port  Royal. 

"The  Bull  Unigenitus,"  says  that  most  learned  Roman  Catholic.  Doctor 
O'Connor,  "was  condemned  by  the  Sorbonne  immediately  after  the  deaS  of 
Lou.3;  and  the  Jesuit  Le  Tellier,  the  Monarch's  confessor,  was  banisSed  io 
La  Fleche,  loaded  with  public  execration.  The  condemna  ion  of  the  Sy! 
first  proposition,  6j,  J,  enfordng  obedience  to  unjust  censures,  xoasfeU  tilt 
repugnintto  mordobltgations.  The  refusal  of  the  sacraments  to  those  who 
would  not  subscribe  the  bull,  disturbed  the  tranquillity  of  private  hfe  and 
refusal  wrh"'"!!"."  ?J  '^'  '"agistracy,  so  that  those  Who  fersi  ted  !;,  the 
refusal,  were  banished  the  kingdom.  Benedict  the  fourteenth,  fearful  of  the 
storm  which  thickened  everyday,  issued  a  brief,  declaring 'that  since  he 
Snt  tl7  h'^'^'^'L""  the  bulls  of  his'predecessors,  the  bull  should  be  egistered 
but  that  those  who  rejected  it,  ought  to  have  the  sacraments  at  their  own  risk.' 

I  wonder,  under  such  circumstances,  what  priest  would  have 
administered  the  sacraments  ? 

«  This  political  middle  course  was  called  the  law  of  silence  and  cansprl  th« 
§;"  oolitS  m  ;Jl "'''     ^'"  ^-'--«"V«.  di^SUste/Sr'than  S'd  'by' 

_  My  friend  has  told  us,  that  the  Jesuits  and  Jansenists.  fb« 
l^runciscans  and  Dominicans,  never  broke  the  bond  of  Chris- 
tian charity.     It  is  notorious  that  the  Jesuits,  and  the  secular  or 

24* 


-X.X. 


283 


THE    WANT   OP    iwiTT   OF 


parish  priests,  are  not  on  the  most  amicable  terms,  the  lattei 
being  jealous  of  their  interference.  We  shall  see  how  thej 
acted.  Parsons,  the  Jesuit,  writing  agiinst  the  secular  priests, 
thus  describes  thepi : — 

-'They  be  mad  heads,  seditions  libellers,  notorious  caluminators,  factious, 
turbulent,  of  scandalous  lives,  writing  egregious,  malicious  untruths:  impu- 
dent,  tactious,  wicked  slanderers;  they  are  rebels  to,  and  betrayers  of  the 
Oathohc  cause."— PorsoM's  Apologue,  chap,  iv,  p.  8. 

On  the  other  side,  the  Seculars  called  the  Jesuits  "  Schisma- 
tics, Donatists,  Arians ;  who  make  religion  a  mere  political 
Atheistical  device."     And  Watson  calls  f  arsons 

"An  Atheai  strategemitor  (page  160,  auodlibets;)  a  bastardly  vicar  of 
hell ;  a  judge  paramount  on  earth  under  the  devil ;  a  Wolsey  in  ambition. 
Midas  la  immundicity,  a  traitor  in  action." 

And  again,  he  says  of  all  the  Jesuits  in  England,  that 
A  "  JJ^y  f  !"f*=»ted  sorer  than  Heliogabalus ;  that  they  were  tau-^ht  by  their 
Arch-Kabbia  to  maintain  (with  their  equivocations)  dissimulation^detraction 
sedition ;  that  they  were  busied  in  making  strife  between  kings  and  kinds' 
states  and  states,  priests  and  priests,  raising  rebellions,  murderin<r  princes' 
Btirnng  uproars  every  where ;  men  unworthy  to  be  called  religious  orCatholic' 
or  Christian  ;  for,  however'they  may  boast  of  their  perfection,  their  holiness! 
their  meditation,  and  their  exercises,  yet  their  plots  are  heathenish  and  satanil 
w'  .  u  'j  T^^  .Machiavel,  Lucian  ;  yea,  Don  Lucifer  himself  to  sciiool. 
Wretched  Jesuits,  who  would  have  all  Catholics  depend  on  the  arch-priest 
when  the  arch-pnest  depended  on  John  Garnet,  Garnet  upon  Parsons,  and' 
Parsons  on  the  devil."  '^  ' 

Mr.  Maguire  says,  that  there  is  no  sacrificing  priest ;  and 
yesterday,  in  accordance  with  the  doctrine  of  his  church,  he 
observed,  that  the  sacrifice  of  the  Eucharist  is  oflTered  in  an 
unbloody  manner.     I  beg  to  remind  him  that  the  Bible  say&, 

•'WITHOUT    SHEDDING    OF    BLOOD    THERE    IS    NO    REMISSION." 

(Heb.  ix,  22.)  With  respect  to  transubstantiation,  I  beg  to 
read  you  an  extract  from  Gage's  Survey  of  the  West  Indies. 
Lon.  1665,  page  197  ;  formerly  a  priest  of  the  church  of  Rome. 

"One  day,  saving  mass  in  the  chief  -hurch,  after  the  consecration  of  tho 
bread,  being  with  my  eyes  shut  at  that  mental  prayer,  which  the  church  of 
Kome  calleth  the  Memento  for  their  dead,  there  came  from  behind  the  altar 
a  mouse,  which  running  about,  came  to  the  very  bread  or  wafer-crod  of  the 
Papists,  and  taking  it  in  his  mouth  ran  away  with  it;  not  bein<y  perceived  by 
any  of  the  people  who  were  at  mass,  for  that  the  altar  was  hi  oh  by  reason  of 
the  steps  going  up  to  it,  and  the  people  far  beneath.  But  as  soon  as  I  ooencd 
my  eyes  to  go  on  with  my  mass,  and  perceived  my  God  stolen  away,  I  looked 
about  the  altar  and  saw  the  mouse  running  away  with  it ;  which  on  a  sudden 
did  so  Gtupify  rne,  that  I  knew  not  well  what  to  do  or  say;  and  callin-r  mv 
wits  together,  I  thought  that  if  I  should  take  no  notice  of  the  mischance'' and 
any  body  else  m  the  church  should,  I  mioht  justly  be  questioned  by  the  in- 
quisitioii ;  but  li'I  should  call  on  tiie  people  to  look  for  the  sacrament,  then  I 
niight  be  but  chid  and  rebuked  for  my  carelessness,  wliicli,  of  the  two  I 
thought  would  be  more  easily  borne  than  the  rigour  of  the  Inouisition  1- 
wjjeieupoii,not  knowing  what  the  people  iiad  seen,  I  turned  myself  unto 
Uiem,  and  called  them  unto  the  altar,  and  told  tliem  plainly,  that  whilst  I  waa 


THE    PROfESTANT    CHURCHES. 


289 


» 


In  my  memento  prayers  and  meditations,  a  mouse  had  carried  away  th« 
aacrament;  and  that  I  knew  not  what  to  do,  unless  they  would  help  me  to 
find  it  out  again.  The  people  called  a  priest  that  was  :t  l)and,  who  presently 
brought  in  more  of  his  coat;  and,  as  if  their  God  by  this  had  beon  eaten  up, 
they  presently  prepared  to  lind  out  the  thief,  as  if  they  would  eat  up  the 
mouse  that  had  so  assaulted  and  abused  their  God.  '1  hey  lighted  candles 
and  lorclies  to  find  out  the  malefactor  in  his  secret  and  hidden  "places  of  the 
wall ;  and  after  much  searchingr  and  enquiry  for  the  sacrilegious  beast,  they 
found  at  last  in  a  hole  of  the  wall,  the  sacrament,  half  eaten  up,  which,  with 

freat  joy,  they  took  out ;  and,  as  if  the  ark  had  been  brought  again  from  the 
hilistines  to  the  Israelites,  so  they  rejoiced  for  their  new-found  God,  whom, 
with  many  people  now  resorted  to  the  church,  with  many  lights  of  candles 
and  torches,  with  joyful  and  solemn  music  they  carried  aboiit  the  church  in 
procession.  Myself  was  present  upon  my  knees,  shaking  and  quivering  for 
what  might  be  done  unto  me,  and  expecUng  my  doom  and  judgment ;  "and 
as  the  sacrament  passed  by  me,  i  observed  in  it  the  marks  and 'signs  of  the 
teeth  of  the  mouse,  as  they  are  to  be  seen  in  a  piece  of  cheese  gnawn  and 
eaten  by  it 

"This  struck  me  with  such  horror,  that  I  cared  not  at  that  present  inoment 
whether  I  had  been  torn  in  a  thousand  pieces,  for  denying  publicly  that 
mouse-eaten  God ;  I  called  to  my  best  memory  all  philosophy  concerning 
substance  and  accident,  arwl  resolved  within  myself  that  what  I'saw  gnawn^ 
was  not  an  accident,  but  sbme  real  substance,  eaten  and  devoured  by  that 
vermin,  which  certainly  was  fed  and  nourished  by  what  it  had  eaten  ;  and 
philosophy  well  t.acheth,  "substantia  cibi  (non  accidentis)  convertitur  iu 
substantiam  ahiir  '  the  substance  (not  the  accident  of  the  food  or  meal)  it  con- 
verted ot  turned  into  the  substance  of  the  thing  fed  by  it  and  alimented.  Now, 
here  I  knew  that  this  mouse  had  fed  upon  some  substance,  or  else  how  coidc 
the  marks  of  the  teeth  so  plainly  appear?  But  no  Papist  will  be  willing  Ic 
answer  that  it  fed  on  the  substance  of  Christ's  body— ergo,  by  good  coirse- 
quence  it  follows,  that  it  fed  upon  the  substance  of  bread  ;  and  so  transub- 
stantiation  here,  in  my  judgment,  was  confuted  by  a  mouse ;  wiiich  mean 
and  base  creature  God  chose  to  convince  me  of  my  former  errors,  and"  made 
rne  now  resolve  upon  what  many  years  before  I  had  doubted,  that  certainly 
the  point  of  transubstantiation,  taught  by  the  church  of  Rome,  is  most  dam- 
nable and  erroneous;  for,  besides  what  before,  I  observed,  it  contradicteth 
the  philosophical  axiom  teaching  that  "duo  contradictoria  non  possint  simul 
et  semt'l  de  eodem  verificari,"  two  contradictories  cannot  at  once  and  at  the  self 
same  time  be  said  and  verified  of  the  same  thing;  but  here  it  was  so :  for  here 
in  Rome's  judgment  and  opinion,  Christ's  body  was  gnawn  and  eaten,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  same  body,  in  another  place,  and  upon  another  altar,  in 
the  hands  of  another  priest,  was  not  eaten  and  gnawn ;  therefore  here  are 
two  contradictories  verified  of  the  same  body  of  Christ— to  wit,  it  was  eaten 
and  gnawn,  and  it  was  not  eaten  and  gnawn.  These  impressions  at  that 
time  were  so  great  in  me,  that  I  resolved  within  myself  that  bread  really  and 
truly  w;h3  eaten  upon  that  altar,  and  by  no  means  Christ's  glorious  body 
which  is  in  heaven,  and  cannot  be  upon  earth  subject  to  the  hunger  or  vio 
lence  of  a  creature," 

From  the  circumstance  which  I  now  read,  we  can  clearly  see 
that  transubstantiation  has  no  foundation  in  fact. 

In  the  next  place,  permit  me  to  remark,  if  a  church  be  an- 
swerable for  all  who  break  from  her  communion,  then  is  the 
church  of  Rome  answerable,  upon  her  own  showing,  for  the 
various  heresies  which  have  from  titne  to  fiaie  existed.  Sh© 
will  not  perhaps  assent  to  this  doctrine  ;  why  therefore  should 
she  charge  any  Protestant  communion  with  the  faults  of  those 


284 


THE    WANT    OF    UNITY    OF 


Who  depart  out  of  it  ?  If  the  mother  be  not  anuwerable  for  thu 
br.oci  which  leave  her,  then  no  Protestant  church  isanswemSe 
but  for  those  within  its  pale.  auaweraoie 

"Found  himself  surrounded  by  the  disciples  or  admirer  of  n»Al„»,K  - 

Such  IS  the  authority  from  J.  K.  L.  I  assert,  that  the  church 
of  Rome  ,s  divided  as  to  a  standard  Bible.  The  council  of 
iient  gave  its  opinion,  and  pronounced  its  imDrimatur  n-.  „., 
edition  of  the  Vulgate,  be/ore  [t  was  published  r^"Quam  emen? 
daossune  imprimatur^'  are  the  words  of  the  councU.  Th^ 
exp  ession,  "quamemendatissime,"  "as  correct  as  possible^' 
irnplies  the  inability  of  the  church  of  Rome  to  furnish  anTntni- 
be  edition.     I  asserted  that  the  Sixtine  and  Clementine  eSns 

h  Th!n  ^'^^'"f  ,^»^l«'  I  ^g^in  call  upon  him  to  produce 
U.  I  shall  now^ad  to  you  an  extract,  in  order  to  show  that  he 
will  find  great  difficulty  in  producing  a  copy  : 

his  successor  Clement  Vllt,  who  reprinted  itTn  IsS  more  cC?tU      Tr^ 

mmmmm 

DXof^"ft'"'"PPr^*;  ''"^  proscribed  afteJtihfdtrofSxtusfh^ 
Duke  of  Grafton  purchased  one  on  Iar<Te  Daoer  at  Mr  Pnrio'a  i  i     r    i,? 

5s.  0^.-(Dr.  Ada!;  Clarke's  Bibliogra^llPalStbri^ly.  vo"  i;p!t2fr 
Let  Mr.  Maguire  now  produce  his  Sixtine  Bible. 
Divisions  exist  in  the  church  of  Rome,  as   to  the  extent  of 

Jhe^temporal  power  of  the  Pope.     On  thi^  subject  Be^:!^ 

as  well  as  ecclesiastica  matters.    A  second  oninion  tZhi.l  ,      '^„'"  Po''t'cal 
rather  than  an  opinion)  is  in  the  o^posUe "xtXT  that  S^e  Po^p  t"  *'?f?'' 

r-y-^p  «iu-^a  icas  ucposc  mem,  even  luou«^h  thev  mav'Hpoorv^  ♦„  k>    .i — 
mse  deposed :  nay.  tfat  it  i.  conti^ry  to  t1.e  laToV^odTaTi^spiri^^^^ 


' 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


ts6 


•nd  temporal  awords  bo  both  committed  to  tl.e  same  hand.     The  third 
opinion  hes  between  the  two  former,  and  is  commonly  held  by  Catholic  JiwW 

lThl\  nu^/-  ^P";  '"'  ^T^ '  "'^^•^"hele.8,  that  by  reason  of  the  spUtZ, 
Rot  Pont?  h  iJ,  n  §'  fs  '""'"■'  ""'^ ''""  *«/»-«'"'^»  ^«ior«i;."-Da 

The  council  of  Lyons  maintained  the  right  of  the  Pope  to 

depose  princes.    If  I  were  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  were  anxious 

to  know  whether  the  Pope  possessed  that  right,  although  if  a 

-    Irans-alpme,  I  must  believe  the  doctrine,  how  can  I  reconcile 

It  with  the  declaration  of  the  Apostle: 

'fk'!^^-^!""^  resisteth  the  power,  resisteth  the  ordinance  of  God :  and  thev 
hat  res^f,  purchase  to  themselves  damnation ;  for  princes  are  not  a  terror  % 
the  good  worit  but  to  the  evil."— Rom.  xiii,  1,2,  3. 

Delahogue  endeavours  to  get  out  of  difficulties  of  this  nature, 
by  saying,  ' 

vJ'Jk!,*''""'*'^^^^''^  'u  ^^^"^.  "othing  concerning  the  cdebrated  coniro- 
vcrsy  between  the  French  and  Italian  churches,  as  is  evident  from  thoM 
thmgs  which  were  done  in  the  council  of  Trent,  and  from  what  we  VhaU 
Th!lS!!>'"  .t  "'flu  «o"««"'i'?S  the  prerogatives  of  the  Roman  pontifE 
Jpn^S  ""'f*^'' °r  these  definitions  is  sufficiently  clear  to  demand  assent 
hence  different  opinions  concerning  this  question  do  not  militate  against  unit^ 
of  doctrine,  which  consists  m  this,  that  all  doctrines  are  assented  to,  which 
have  been  clearly  defined  by  a  council  assuredly  general.»-p.  SUc^to 
CBcumenica.  °  ^  " 

^•^r^nl?  ™^"  '^  '®^  '"  ^^^^^  °"  ^^^^  momentous  points,  by 
an  mlallible  church,  she  not  having  defined  the  matter  with 
sufficient  clearness:  a  man  therefore  may  maintain  opinions 
different  from  thopg  of  others  without  any  breach  of  unity 
Upon  the  authority  of  Dr.  Doyle,  there  is  no  standard  as  to 
doctrine  in  the  church  of  Rome.  In  his  examination  on  oath 
before  the  House  of  Lords,  p.  602,  he  observes, 

"Besides  the  articles  enumerated  in  the  creed  of  Pius  IV,  there  are  others 
to  be  received  as  of  faith.  These  are  defined  in  the  sacred  canons  ofM 
frZ  TT"""       "1'  '"T 1"  rV"*^  °^  «''"^*'  "o  ''^^"""t  can  be  obtained 

Dr.  Doyle  here  states  that  some  of  the  sacred  canons  are  to 
be  received  entire,  some  in  part.     Who  then  is  to  decide,  what 
canons  are  to  be  received,  and  what  rejected  ]     How,  I  would 
ask,  IS  the  ignorant  peasant  to  decide?  Is  he  to  go  to  his  priest? 
Ihe  niatter,  m  truth,  resolves  itself  into  this,  that  the  priest  is 
the  mfalltble  organ  of  the  church  in  the  estimation  of  the  people. 
Ihe  differences  in  the  church  of  Rome  are  also  great  as  to 
councils.     The  French  church  receives  the  council  of  Con- 
stance m  toto,  others  do  not.     Bellarmine  gives  us  the  varieties 
of  opinion  as  to  general  councils.     He  furnishes  a  list  of  general 
councils,  partly  confirmed  and  partly  rejected;   (De  Conciliis 
i.  I,  c.  6.)  and  (in  c.  v.  and  de  Rom.  Pont.  1.  iv,  c.  11.)  he  says 


3X: 


286 


THE    WANT    OF    UNITY    3f 


that  those  councils  allowed  to  be  general  were  njiired  by  the 
interpolations  of  heretics.  The  council  of  Basil  once  oecume- 
nical, afterwards  became,  we  are  told,  a  schismnlical  conventi- 
cle.— (Bellarmine  de  Eccl.  Mil.  c.  16.)  Is  there  then  any 
standard  of  faith  to  be  found  in  that  church  in  which  such  doubts 
exist,  as  to  its  councils  and  canons. 

The  council  of  Constance,  the  Pope's  legate  concurring, 
decreed  that  u  council  was  above  the  Pope. — ( Bellarm.  de  Horn. 
Pont.  I.  ii,  c.  11.)  That  of  Constance  deposed  three  Popes, 
and  set  up  another ;  while  the  council  of  Florence  and  Trent 
decreed,  that  the  Pope  is  above  a  council.  Here  we  have 
coimcil  against  council.  He  has  not  informed  us,  what  are  the 
characteristics  of  a  general  council.  Is  it  the  orthodoxy  of  the 
doctrine  which  is  to  characterize  a  council,  or  is  it  tlie  council 
which  is  to  characterize  the  doctrine  1  If  the  fbrmer,  why  should 
the  council  of  Tyre  be  rejected,  which  was  summoned  by  the 
same  authority  as  that  of  Nice  1  If  the  latter,  who  is  to  decide 
upon  the  characteristics  of  a  general  council? 

Thus  I  have  gone  in  some  degree  over  the  same  ground  of 
argument  that  I  traversed  the  second  day  ;  by  which  I  sliowed 
you  that  infallibility  does  not  exist  in  the  church  of  Rome. 
Some  of  the  arguments  which  destroy  its  claim  to  infallibility, 
it  is  plain,  overturn  its  pretensions  to  unity.  The  first  council 
of  Lyons  has  been  doubted  by  some.  The  fifth  Lateran  by 
others.  The  fifth  council,  assembled  at  Constantinople,  was 
held  in  defiance  of  Pope  Vigilius ;  yet  it  has  been  received  by 
his  successors ;  and  in  fine  throughout  "  the  church"  as  an 
oecumenical  council.  Vide  Baron,  in  Justiniano  et  Yigilio, 
torn.  7,  et  Sirmund.  Prtefat.  in  Secund. 

Let  Mr.  Maguire  come  to  the  point — let  him,  if  he  please, 
bring  forward  hia*catalogue  of  sects,  and  his  stories  about  fana- 
ticism ;  but  let  him  also  answer  my  questions,  why  councils 
have  been  against  councils  1  and  how  his  church  can  escape  the 
anathema,  which  the  council  of  Ephesus  pronounced  on  any 
who  should  add  to  the  Nicene  confession  of  faith? 

Mr.  Maguire. — I  called  upon  my  friend  Mr.  Pope  to  prove 
that  there  is  a  distinction  drawn  in  scripture  between  essentials 
and  non-essentials.  What  he  has  adduced  from  St.  Paul  to  the 
Corinthians  makes  against  him.  St.  Paul  rebukes  the  Corin- 
thians because  somt;  amongst  them  said  they  were  of  Patil, 
others  of  Cephas,  others  of  Apollos,  and  others  of  Christ ;  and 
he  condemns  their  indulging  in  such  frivolous  contests.  But 
faith,  morality,  and  discipline  had  not  been  violated,  and  it  is 
very  foolish  to  bring  this  text  forward  us  a  proof  that  dinerencea 
were  allowed  to  exist.     St.  Paul  on  all  occasions  insisted  upon 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


Z8i 


the  necessity  of  chanty ;  he  tells  as  himself,  that  if  he  possessed 
laith  sufficient  to  move  mountains— that  is,  a  faith  of  the  stron-ost 
description-and  had  not  charity,  it  xvouki  profit  him  nuthmK. 
In  this  instance  the  Corinthians  wereVuilly  of  a  breach  ofchar.tv, 
notof  fauh  or  discipline;  they  were  making  contentions  and 
divisions  as  to  the  superior  preaching  of  Paul  or  of  Cephas,  and 
St.  Paul  calls  upon  them  equally  to  ^rive  up  such  frivolous  con- 
lentions.  and  to  hve  in  charity.  This  text,  though  quoted  by 
Mr.  Pope,  obviously  makes  against  him,  for  here  ^ve  find  the 
Connthians  condemned  for  differences  which  did  not  involve 
matters  of  faith,  morality,  or  discipline. 

The  arguments  adduced  by  Mr.  Pope  against  my  church,  are 
ounded  upon  a  great  misconception  of  her  doctrines.  He  has 
throughout  mariilested  a  surprising  ignorance  of  her  real  tenets. 
He  has  resorted  to  a  negative  argument  to  prove  a  positive  Ihct. 
JJecause  St.  Paul,  m  his  epistle  to  the  Romans  does  not  speak 
of  Peter,  therefore  Peter  was  never  at  Rome.  Because  St. 
Paul  wrote  an  epistle  to  the  Romans  relative  to  the  dischar/ie 
of  their  moral  and  spiritual  duties,  and  helped  Peter  in  his  mis- 
sion,  therefore  St.  Peter  was  not  the  successor  of  Jesus  Christ 
upon  earth. — A  notable  conclusion  truly ! 

I  affirm  that  our  Saviour  appointing  a  visible  head  for  his 
church  upon  earth,  acted  in  nowise  derogatory  to  his  heavenly 
character,  but  did  that  which  was  worthy  of  divine  wisdom. 
My  Iriend.  by  negative  arguments,  seeks  to  deprive  us  of  a 
visible  head—now  Catholics  acknowledge  the  Pope  to  be  the 
successor  of  St.  Peter,  the  visible  head  of  the  church  on  earth, 
and  the  agent  and  mstrument  of  the  invisible  head,  Jesus  Christ, 
who  IS  heaven.     You  are  to  decide  whether  you  will  belio^e  the 
holy  Fathers,  or  my  friend  Mr.  Pope— you  must  reject  either 
one  or  other,  tor  they  are  directly  opposed.     Mr.   Pope  has 
made  a  quotation  from  Genebrardus.    1  affirm  that  if  the  context 
ot  the  author  be  examined,  it  will  not  be  found  to  prove  any 
thing  against  Catholic  doctrine.     Mr.  Pope  seeks  to  establish 
the  fact  of  disunion  in  the  church  by  a  reference  to  the  battles 
amongst  the  Jesuits  and  Dominicans  on  the  subject  of  the  Con- 
ception.    With  regard  to  every  thing  which  has  not  been  defined 
by  the  Catholic  church,  every  Catholic  is  at  liberty  to  entertain 
his  private  opmions ;  the  church  has  not  thought  proper  to  define 
any  thing  but  what  is  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  the  de- 
posit ot  taith.     Mr.  Pope  recurs  to  the  argument  relative  to  the 
sacrificing  priest.     I  have  already  said,  that  taking  the  words  in 
the  strict  and  rigorous  sense,  Christ  can  alone  be  called  the 
sacrificing  priest.     He   is  the  Assistans   Pontifex   futurorum 
Donorum.     Unnst  himself  is  both  the  priest  and  the  victim,  or 
M  St.  AugusUn  has  it.  he  is  the  priest  himself  offering,  and 


288 


THE    WANT    OF    UNITY    OF 


himself  the  victim.  The  priest  pronoutnies  the  words  :  Christ 
performs  the  action,  therefore  the  priest  himself  does  not  tran- 
siibstunliato.  VVilh  re^rard  to  Cohimbanus,  1  deny  that  he  is  to 
be  quoted  on  this  subject  as  an  authority  against  the  Catholic 
church.  His  lucubrations  on  this  subject  have  not  been  ap- 
proved of.  It  is  remarkable,  that  Mr.  Pope  quotes  as  Catholic 
historians  those  only  who  have  risen  in  opposition  to  the  recog- 
nised and  lawful  authority  of  the  church. 

I  now  come  to  the  man  who  was  converted  by  the  mouse. 
What  a  powerful  argument  against  the  doctrine  of  transubstan- 
tiation  !  Mr.  Pope  imagines  that  he  has  caught  me  in  a  mouse- 
trap, but  I  will  show  that  I  can  squeeze  myself  out  of  it.  I 
worship  a  Saviour,  who  suffered  himself  to  be  spa'  upon  and  to 
be  scoffed  at.  In  his  divine  humility  he  endured  all,  and  would 
not  retaliate  upon  his  enemies.     He  was  treated  as  a  common 

malefactor — he  was  crucified  on  the  cross  between  two  thieves 

he  was  covered  with  every  species  of  indignity  and  contumely, 
yet  he  prayed  to  his  heavenly  Father  to  forgive  his  pnemies,  for 
they  knew  not  what  they  did.  He  was  a  scandal  to  the  Jews, 
and  a  folly  to  the  Gentiles.  The  indignities  which  our  Saviour 
suffered  from  the  Jews,  should  be  an  argument,  according  to 
the  principles  of  Mr.  Pope,  against  the  divinity  of  the  Redeemer 
— an  argument  which  has  been  plausibly  put  forward,  both  by 
Jews  and  Gentiles.  He  says,  the  church  of  Rome  is  answera- 
ble for  all  heretics.  They  had  been  her  adopted  children,  no 
doubt,  but  they  abused  their  right— they  rejected  her  authority, 
and  she  banished  them  from  her  on  account  of  their  scandalous 
conduct,  as  rebellious  and  unnatural  children.  They  are  gone 
out  from  her.  He  who  lefl  the  ark  of  Noah  was  drowned  in 
the  deluge. 

I  defy  my  friend  to  point  out  any  substantive  error  in  the  Six- 
tine  edition  of  the  Bible,  or  to  prove  that  any  material  alterations 
were  made  in  the  Clementine  edition.  The  council  of  Trent 
commanded  that  a  copy  should  be  made  out  guam  emendatissime. 
Though  there  was  nothing  substantially  erroneous  in  the  edition 
then  extant,  yet  it  required  many  verbal  emendations  :  accord- 
ingly, as  he  ought,  Clement  had  a  pure  and  correct  copy  of  the 
Bible  made  out.  Mr.  Pope  has  recurred  to  the  question  of  infal- 
libility, but  I  shall  not  be  drawn  by  such  a  manoeuvre  from  the 
subject  before  us.  The  doctrine  of  the  priest  may  be  infallibly 
true,  although  he  himself  may  be  very  fallible.  The  priest  is  the 
organ  of  infallibility,  as  long  as  he  teaches  the  true  doctrine  of 
the  Catholic  church  ;  and  I  here  pubHcly  assure  you,  that  if  a 
priest  broached  any  doctrine  contrary  to  that  church,  when  preach- 

— o f I 1 ■.-.•-rc^    iiivii   cais  agui'-jsi  lUB 

new  doctrine,  and  either  turn  him  out  of  the  chapel  or  retire 


s 
tl 
a 
c 

th 
tb 

y< 

a( 
of 
th 
ia 


s:  Christ 
not  tran- 
it  he  is  to 

Catholic 
been  ap- 

Catholic 
le  recog- 

)  mouse, 
isubstan- 
u  mousc- 
of  it.  I 
>n  and  to 
nd  would 
common 
hieves — 
ntumely, 
niies,  for 
fie  Jews, 

Saviour 
)rding  to 
edeemer 

both  by 
mswera- 
dren,  no 
uthority, 
indalous 
iie  gone 
wned  in 

the  Six- 
terations 
»f  Trent 
ttissime. 
3  edition 

accord- 
y  of  the 
of  infal- 
from  the 
nfailibly 
ist  is  the 
:triue  of 
that  if  a 

preach- 
iinst  the 
yt  retire 


THE  PROTESTA>T  CHURCHES.  289 

Iiu"'nn!rr*  ^^I'  ^°P"  ^^"^  "-'""  «""d«^  to  the  general  coun- 
cils, and  has  endeavoured  to  raise  some  cavilline  obiect  on^^vWh 
respect  to  the  council  of  Basil      Thnn^h  ii    ^^  ohjections  with 

loia  you,  tnat  m  the  commencement  the  council  was  rcniiirlv 
convened,  and  therefore  legitimate      Hor«  \\1.  Z      ^^^r',      y 

Muncer  (executed  forrebelHon  7S  5  '"/^  r  rf'.';S^y^"'^^«'-<'"'l'«'-esy 
tolics,  Taciturns,  PerS  Zc'enfsT  ^"''^''^P^'^J^  "^'""J.  0  Ada,nitea,  ApoL' 
Manifestarian.,  VeeperB    Reiofcer,'  ^•^^••il"««.  Sabattarians,  Clancularmns, 

(a  sect  of  AnabaptistrXiemed  ?f  ?!!''  ^f '"""^"'^ns,  Bacularians 
than  a  staff';)  Puritans 'a  secrofii  %?•"?  °  have  any  other  M-eapon 
absurdities  ;  some  have  k  Ued  ratffi?.°  t^-'""''^''  ^^"^  '"^"'s«d  in  various 
pulously  deferred  trLeculntniE?'"'  "T  °V  ^""'^'^>''  '"'^  '^'^^ 
heads  of  their  bar.els  of  beer  for  wlrkin "1  ^' '  o '^T  ^V'  '^"«^'"^^'  «'"  'he 
Rustics,  Insurrectionist.  Sandern^^^^^^^^  b7joi:n"^?^^.'  ^''  ^^'-  '^  '^;'"'^^^^' 
boys,  Love-feasts,  Seceders  Shakers  sSiniLoQ  ^'ass-Kiss-of-chnrily 
gians,  or  New  Jerusalemites  Snh^tntK  '•^.°"V^'''''.^'*"«'  Sw'edenbor. 
CTniversalists.  or  Sa  vatiore?eW  Si^  S  ^^^^^''^  *>r  Tou,  Paine, 

tonians,Nevvl|i<.hts  SekorrATJ!  •     '  Ub«l"'/^'an8,  Zuinghans,  Mu-^Ie- 

claimed'  himseI?SSs?ahf Sr(no7'f?nK  ^'^ '^'""""P- 
punishment,  Episcopalians  PamilistsTr  1?„  i  r  r"'^  they  deny  eternal 
liimself  abole  Christ,  Fifth-mZ  ch  J  In  . n  ^^  ^^  I^T'  ^''"  """'"^  held 
pendents,  Infernalian^ekl  Jesus  S?o  ,17'"'^''  '""P""'**  ^«^^'  '"''«- 
Johnsonians,  deny  the  Trinitvlnd  nr^    •  .       '  ''."^.^^^  tormented  there, 

think  i.  quite  un^rth/Sf  V?o™„f  It"'"  En''  P"?''"  ' 
J-ou  the  foUoving  storv  by  wav  n1r»„X^-       f*!'"  ""f  "'^  «"« 

."111?;'™/?''-'  "P™  *-'  i".agi„„tio'„,  highly  ^ubll^ri  S 
—  j,..o^,  ai,u  .-^cu-importance  ft"  nrivate  uuhrmi.nt  tu  .  ' 
»  related  of  u  piou,  pLtan,  .ho.  i^  r^/Z'^roL'tS, 

25 


290 


THE  WANT    OF    UNITY    OF 


had  executed  holy  justice  on  hid  favourite  cat  for  an  irnpioiii 
viuktion  of  iho  Subbath — 

Voni  Banbiiiy,  oh !  profanum ! 
Ubi  vido  Purituiium 
,        Felein  fucieriteiu  fiirem  ^ 

Cluia  Sabbato  atruvit  murcm. 
Arrived  at  Bniibury,  oh !  profane  I 
I  there  beheld  a  Puritan, 
In  pious  rage  hang  up  toin  cat 
For  catching  on  Lord'tt  day  a  rat 

I  shall  now  read  to  you  an  extract  from  Dudithius,  a  learned 
rrotestnnt  divine,  in  his  epistle  to  Beza  : 

"What  sort  of  people  are  our  Protcstiints,  struinlinrrto  and  fro,  and  carried 
•bout  with  every  wnid  oi  doctrine,  sometimes  to  this  side,  somcli.nea  to  that  / 
itou  may,  perhaps,  know  what  their  senliments  in  matters  of  rdi«rion  are  to- 
day :  but  you  can  never  certainly  tell  what  they  will  be  to-morrow.  In  what 
•ruclo  of  religion  do  these  churches  agree  which  have  cast  off'  the  bishop  of 
Kome  ?  Lxamine  a  I  from  top  to  bottom,  and  you  will  scarce  find  one  tlmi<» 
wiSdoclrine."  **""  "°^  immediately  condemned  by  another  for 

The  same  confusion  of  opinions  was  described  by  an  EnHish 
Protestaiit,  the  learned  Dr.  Walton,  about  the  middle  of'^last 
century,  m  his  preface  to  his  Polyglott,  where  he  says 

"  Aristarchus  heretofore  could  scarce  find  seven  wise  men  in  Greece  •  but 
with  us,  scarce  are  to  be  found  so  many  idiots.  For  all  are  doctors,  all  are 
divinely  learned  ;  there  is  not  so  much  as  the  meanest  fanatic  or  jackpuddincr 
who  docs  not  give  you  his  own  dreams  for  the  word  of  God.  The  bottomless 
pit  seems  to  have  been  set  open,  from  whence  a  smoke  has  arisen  which  has 
darkened  the  heavens  and  the  stars,  and  locusts  have  come  out  with  stints  a 
numerous  race  of  sectaries  and  heretics,  who  have  renewed  all  the  ancient 
heresies,  and  invented  many  monstrous  opinions  of  their  own.    These  have 

J^^iT'l.'"/'^'''  ^'''^^-^f'  ^*'"P^' '?°"'''«'  "«y'  o»r  pulpits  too,  and  lead  the 
poor  deluded  people  with  them  to  the  pit  of  perdition."  ■ 

Such  is  the  opinion  o^Dr.  Walton,  who  will  not  be  considered 
a  light  authority  on  the  subject.  I  can  also  produce  another  ex- 
cellent Protestant  authority  to  the  same  effect:— no  less  than  that 
of  Baxter,  the  great  oracle  and  organ  of  the  sect  of  Puritans  :— 
«'  He  who  is  out  of  the  church  is  without  the  teaching,  the  holy  worshio 
the  prayers  and  discipline  of  the  church  ;  and  is  out  of  Ihe  way  where  the 
spirit  doth  come ;  and  out  of  the  society  which  Christ  is  related  to.  For  he 
IS  the  Saviour  of  the  body;  and  if  once  we  leave  his  hospital,  we  cannot 
expect  the  presence  and  help  of  the  physician.  Nor  will  he  be  pilot  to  them 
that  leave  his  ship  ;  nor  captain  to  them  that  separate  from  his  army.    Out 

hL  sou?"       "      '^^     *  ^^'"°^'  ^"'^  "**  p''"'®  ^^  "'^^'  ^'  ^^f^'y  ^"^ 

In  1645,  the  collected  body  of  ministers  protested  solemnly 
against  the  toleration  of  sects  :  and  in  their  remonstrance  they 
say,  ^ 

"  We  detest  and  abhor  the  so-much-endeavoured  toleration." 
And  in  a  provincial  assembly,  they  denominate  schism  « 
**  soul  poison,*' 


ism  s 


THF    PROTESTANT    CIIURCIIKS.  |91 

In  another  provincial  meeting'  ihvy  tail  it  • 

In  aliorl,  tl,,«,  compressed  irilu  one  word,  was  (he  Erncral  scnli- 
mem  ;  ,l>orelore  .l,e  ge.,erul  lang„„gc  of  these  J„  „„,.,?,». 

be hisni  ,s  a  damnable  sin,  and  wliatawver  is  contrary  to  ti.e  .r„,„„i  .„« 
have  no  n^rht,  and  ll.ereforo  should  have  no  hberty."        ^  ^    "^  '  ''*" 

Again,  I  have  the  authority  of  the  learned   Bayle  fur  the 
destructive  atid  ruinous  conseqiences  of  schism  • 

nn  „.l;  ""''P'"' ^''     ^^  nat  crime  can  indeed  be  pos«ibIy  crratir  than  to  ri*n 
up  a^a  nst  such  a  parent;  to  defame  her  tluou-rfi  tin,  won  J     and  lo  m.?k« 

mmmmsm 

f  !,«„  f  h  »  r  'n.*"'^"  a  subject  can  full,  there  la  not  any  one  more  arieviou. 
tl  fT  °'^.  '^  '"•'"«  "=''•"''*  ^'  '''«'^"'  sovereign,  and  endeavourinrat Z 
aanie  Ume  to  excite  as  many  provinces  as  he  can  to  dethrone^I,^  Aw 
precisely  m  the  same  proportion  as  supernatural  interests  exceed  aUlcrmnZ 
interests,  just  so  does  the  church  of  Christ  surpass  all  c^ilSies  A  n  Thi 
consequence,  therefore,  is,  that  schism  in  the  chinch  exSiT  he.rttnes. 
of  ts  criminality,  the  guilt  of  ail  other  acts  of  sedition."  greatness 

bchism   (sii^s  Mr.  Wix,)  does  not  prevail  merely  out  of  the  chi.rrh      U 

Er:i\rsxr„  t,'^f%ieXirr  is^z°5^^^^^^^^ 

infliCKl  „„  the  unit,  „f  ,he  g„.pe|  TjfL  Chrl  *        "  "'"""  "''"'^  " 
„„?■'■  "*"'^"*5'' "  Pfo'estantdivme.speakingoflhe  Melhodisls. 

Set  VSf 

in^  tT!!^^  T  *  ?^^  °^  ignorant,  self-sufficient  enthusiasts,  industriously  pu-h- 
Sf«?  T'"'"'  '"***  fery  parish,  creeping  into  ho.ises,'and  leaZ' Sve 
those  sHly  persons  who  are  weak  enougH  to  be  led  by  them      Thev  aro 
Sstt'ir'nlmrj"^^  clescription,°as  to  be  obligeVroTubsSuS  tS 

In  this  rvtnnfrv  /^iKoomno  1V^    c<«..i \     .      >  n 

a»>i:.>v.  "i ">■  :.••-""•-''  "=•  -s.jii.cs;  vasi  sums  oi  nioiiev  are  "ained  bv 

nt  TcL'"?  r°^'''""'  «°»««^ion«  are  annually  made  for  the^  aip^o  "of  Z 
ninutcs.     Inferior  persons,  assuming  the  situaUor.  of  tcachorv.  kro  IcSiS 


292 


THE    WANT   OP    UNITT   OF 


! 


were  mTde  of  f h  7^^"f  "r  t^  ^^''  "P  °i'''^'"'^  < '  K'"g«'  ^"'  33)  the  priesti 
Trfof  «n      i      '  Ipweat  of  the  people.     It  would  now  seem,  huvfrn?  preach- 

-(Num.  xt&.T      ""^  ''''''' '  *"*^ ''"  ^''^  P'^^P'^  were  prophets 

Dr.  Daubeney  informs  us,  that  there  was  a  seminary  in  Bath, 

vJJ"  7^^^^  ^T  '''■*'  """J"?^*^  'P''  P'cnchina  ;  and  at  about  twelve  orthirteer. 
Srfl  "fu'  "^  "  «onaider«d  qualified  for  public  exhibition,  are  sent  to 
undertake  the  services  of  religion."  ,  n.  «/ 

Speaking  of  the  tiny  heroes  of  the  pulpit,  Dr.  Valpy  tells  us. 
-  that  one  of  them,  ^'' 

"A  lad  twelve  years  old,  went  about  the  country  preaching  «x/empoie. 
He  became  popular,  and  was  much  admired  and  patronised." 

This  accounts,  at  once,  both  for  the  multitude  of  our  preach- 
ers, and  for  the  confusion  which  they  generate  ;— preaching  ii 
noiD  a  very  profitable,  and  a  very  iastj  trade. 

"  Each  pious  'prentice  freely  may  dispense 

Salvation  ;  licensed  now  for  eighteen  pence  : 

And  should  devoti»)n  tempt  him  from  his  awl, 

He'll  get  his  orders,  if  he  gels  his  ca.ll"~Religto  Ckrid. 

I  could  adduce  a  number  of  other  Protestant  authorities,  ail 
condemning  m  the  Postpositive  terms  the  disunion  which  exists 
in  the  Protestant  churches.      It  is  unanimously  admitted  by  all, 
mat  they  have  no  fixed  and  common  principle  to  direct  them. 
Mr.  Pope  set  up  his  private  judgment,  and  would  have  every 
man  worship  it  as  an  idol.     He  contends  that  all  have  a  right  to 
exercise  their  private  judgment,  and  to  choose  what  religion  they 
please.     According  to  his  principles,  that  book  which  is  inspired 
of  God,  will  be  made  to  dictate  160  different  religions— the  spirit 
of  truth  will  be  changed  into  the  spirit  of  error.     Ev«ry  wild 
fanatic  vvill  appeai  to  private  interpretation,  and  internal  illumin- 
ation.    The  book  of  God  will  be  produced  to  support  (he  most 
abominable   blasphemies,    and   real   religion    will    be    utterly 
destroyed.   It  was  that  devastating  principle  which  superinduced 
the  rum  of  the  Protestant  religion  in  the  Protestant  churches  of 
Germany  and  France.      It  was  by  such  a  principle  that  the 
J^piscopal  church  of  Scotland  was  pulled  down  ;  and  the  same 
principle  will  effect  shortly  similar  results  in  Ireland,  in  regard 
to  the  established  church,  if  it  meet  with  the  encouragement  it 
has  hitherto  received.     I  call  upon  the  bishops  of  the  established 
church  to  step  into  the  breach,  and  to  save  their  church  from 
utter  destruction.     If  they  do  not  oppose  this  principle— if  the 
Catholics  do  not  step  forward  and  perform  their  duty  in  counter- 
actmg  such  a  destructive  principle,  the  bishops  and  parsons  of 
the  established  church  must  soon  give  way  to  the  low,  ignorant, 
pettifogging,  self-sufficient  preachers   of  "  the  word,"      This 
language  may  appear  strange  in  my  mouth :  but  I  should  ralher 
see  the  Protestant  established  church  continue,  than  that  it  should 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


293 


-I.  Ills 


to  thlrr  f    ^  T\  r"V  ^^"^^•''  ^^'^  b«^"  ^«^««»>'  imputed 
^  the  Ca  holies,  which  they  have  frequently  and  publicly  denied 
Our  articles  of  faith  have  been  publicly  defined  by  the^cE  • 

tlt^  aSt:'^  "'^  ^^'"'"^  ^°  •"^"•^^'  -"  ^^'y  >-n  -haJ 

.ni!?)'*  ^T  ^?^  ridiculed  the  honest  man,  of  whom  Bellarmine 
speaks,  and  who.  when  asked  what  was  his  belief,  replied,  that 
he  believed  what  the  church  believed.  That  is  my  doctr ine- 
I  be  leve  what  the  church  believes,  and  the  church  believes  what 
I  believe.  I  have  been  long  looking  for  the  particular  opinions 
which  constitute  the  rule  of  faith  professed  by  my  friendTu? 
he  has  abstained  from  anything  of  the  kind.^  iJe  could  uo 
prove,  that  any  three  books  of  the  Old  or  New  Testament  are 
absolutely  inspired,  unless,  indeed,  we  admit  the  authority  of  his 

meridian  sun,  which  illuminates  the  sacred  volume.  If  so— it 
IS  strange,  that  though  such  a  powerful  light  should  be  in  exist- 
ence, so  many  should  be  involved  in  darkness,  and  that  there 
should  have  been  millions  of  Catholics,  who,  for  1800  year^ 
could  never  discover  this  light,  which,  according  to  Mr.  JPope 
shmes  forth  with  such  resplendent  lusture.  But  k  is  but  an  aky 
phan  om—a  wandering  meteor  which  leads  not  to  truth,  but  to 

imalnr  ^"""''rvu' '"  '^'  production  of  heated  and  enthusiastic 
imaginations.  The  ancient  heretics  laid  no  claim  to  internal 
licitrvT'!;?^  denied  its  existence.  They  wanted  that  borrowed 
ight  which  Illumines  the  Evangelizers  of  the  present  day.  If 
th:s  internal  evidence  be  so  plain  and  discernable,  as  Mr.  Pone 
would  have  us  believe,  why  was  it  not  claimed  by  the  ancient 
heretics— why  did  so  many  millions  remain  so  unconscious  of  its 
existence,  and  why  did  it  continue  so  long  hidden  and  obscured, 
as  It  were  by  a  cloud,  until  the  noon-day  of  evangelical  reformation 
had  arrived  ?  How  could  all  this  happen,  if  this  light  shine  forth 
directing  to  that  city,  which  is  built  upon  a  mountain,  and  which 
can  be  seen  by  all  men  1 

Mr.  Pope— Gentlemen,  I  have  already  referred  to  the  epistle 
to  the  Komans,  to  prove  the  distinction  between  fundamental 
and  non-fundamental  doctrines.  I  admit  the  evil  of  exaltinc  one 
man  above  another  by  saying'  «  I  am  of  Paul,  and  I  of  Apollos  " 
and  we  charge  the  church  of  Home  with  saying,  « I  am  of 
Cephas,"  or  Peter,  though  forbidden  by  St.  Paul. 

and  S'r.lfc'?/rrf  y^l'!}lV"S'^^^  contention,  areyou  not  carnal 

Xt  il'  P  "I  f  4p.°"''''  "^  y^'J.I?^  '"*'"  ^  ^'^'^t  then  is  Apollos,'  lid 
r„^rl  n  "'i  T^*"!  ™'n'«t«r8  of  Him  whom  you  have  believed  ;  and  to 
every  one  as  the  Lord  hath  given."— 1  Cor.  iii,  3,  4,  5.  ' 

26* 


294 


THE    WANT   OP   UNIT?   OP 


Home,  I  referred  to  the  teslimony  of  Irensus.      Mr.  Maguire 
I  am  authorized  to  say,  has  full  permission  to  consult  the  iLa,; 
ot   Irmity  college,  m  order  to  examine  my  quotations.     Aa  to 
t  le  argun>ent  about  the  Deists,  I  appeal  tomer!  of  sense,  whethe^ 
that  objection  has  not  been  answered.     The  Ro.nan  Missal  (ir 
wL]      h"'/'  Defectibus,  circ.  Miss.  Occurrentibus,)  has 
whole  chapter  on  the  accidents  which  may  occur  in  the  celebra 
u.n  of  the  mass.      I  be^  to  call  your  most  particular  attmion 
to  that  part  of  sa.d  Rubrrc.     As  to  the  number  of  sects,     would 
observe,  that  the  Protestants  reject  many  of  them.  The  church 
of  Rome  has  done  the  same.     Why  are  not  real  Protestants  as 
well  as  the  church  of  Rome,  entitled  to  disclaim  al  ate  I  j^ 
U^ose  who  ara  .n  error?     We  have  council  against  councU 
The  council  of  Ephesus  anathematizes  any,  whS  should  add   o 
the  N.cene  creed     I  ask,  is  not  Pius  TV,  who  has  added  thereto 
useTfT         '',1''*' V ''^  condemned,  as  well  as  all  who  make 

c:thlttThi:'dly.  ^^* ''-' '' ''' '-''  ^'^^^^'  'y  ^-- 

The  second  council   of  Nice  assigns,  as   one  reason   for 
worshippmg  the  image  of  Christ,  that  he  is  not  sensibrpre^en 
on  earth,  but  only  in  his  divinity.-Act.  4,  p.  306.^  I    also 
anathematizes  all  who  assert  that  Christ  was  not  circumscribes 

«L-°  ^1  ^T^\"^i"^«-  J«  not  this  the  church  of  one  age 
against  the  church  of  another  ?  ^ 

ecc1es^'''%Trrnrr'^  *"''^"'*'"'  " '"'*'™  ^"^'^"^'  ^"^^  facit 
ecciesia,  — (Irent  Cone.  Sess.  v.  can.  11.)    I  have  heard  a 

difference  of  opinion  expressed-(so  much  for  unityO  At  the 
discussion  at  Carlow,  a  Roman  Catholic  priest,  under  the  jLt 
diction  of  Dr.  Doyle,  asserted  that  the  doctrine  of  intentioi  was 
merely  a  probable  opinion  among  divines.  '"leniion  was 

The  rubric  of  the  Missal  says, 

"  If  any  priest  should  have  before  him  eleven  hosts  and  should  ,»t^,«..  f 
consecrate  only  ten.  t.ot  determining  which  ten  he  intends  in  fhlj  .  „  .*° 
does  not  consecrate,  because  intention  is  reouired  '  fil  fi!  '*''  '?^ 
thmking  indeed  that  there  are  ten,  he  shorUdM^CeyeAoc^^^^^^^^  t 
the  hosts  before  hnn  ;  for  then  all  will  be  con<^ecratpd  nn<f  tK  ^°"«''"ate  all 
ought  always  to  hav^  such  intention,  namd^^SiScraUn^^^^^^^^^^^^  ^[''1! 
are  placed  before  him  for  consecration."-Ron^,rSaf  ifublin  m"^^^ 
Coyne,  1822,  Rubric  de  Defect,  p.  53.  '  iJnblm,  Richard 

And  here  permit  me  to  inquire,  as  transubstantiation  deoenda 
OP  he  intention  of  the  priest,  how  is  an  individualto  know 
whether  the  priest  has  the  intention?  Can  he  enter  info  h^ 
heart  In  cases  where  there  is  no  transubstantiation,  Ts  the  e 
not  direct  idolatry  in  worshinoinff  that  whi.h  k,,  "  „  '_'1^''^'® 
ledgment  of  the  church  of  Rome,' is  not  God?'and  h^J^^'Z 
individual,  according  to  such  a  principle,  be  sure  that  he Tsno^ 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHUR  fHES. 


295 


I  I 


guilty  of  idolatry,  the  intention  of  the  priest  being  necessary  to 
transuhstantiation  1  The  people,  therefore,  cannot  know,  (jven 
according  to  their  own  principles,  whether  they  worship  God  or 
not.  I  shall  be  told  that  it  is  not  the  fault  of  the  people,  for 
they  do  not  mean  to  wornhip  that  which  is  not  consecrated,  but 
to  worship  God.  So  say  idolaters — we  only  worship  God  through 
the  image.  Hence,  this  mode  of  arguing  would  justify  idolatry 
generally.  Again  ;  bear  in  mind,  that  this  doctrine  of  intention 
is  not  confined  to  the  eucharist  ;  it  runs  through  the  whole  sys- 
tem. How  does  Mr.  Maguire  know  whether  Popes  and  Bish- 
o|)s,  at  ordinations,  have  always  intended  to  ordain?  How  does 
Mr.  Maguire  know  whether  he  is  a  priest  or  not  ?  He  is  not 
certain  that  the  bishop  who  ordained  him,  intended  to  ordain  him. 
Neither  does  he  know  whether  he  is  baptized  or  not  ;  for  unless 
the  officiating  priest  had  intention,  the  outward  ceremony  failed  : 
marriage  also  according  to  the  church  of  Rome,  is  null  and  void, 
unless  intention  accompanies  the  performance  of  the  ceremony 
on  the  part  of  the  priest.  See,  then,  the  awful  results  of  this 
pernicious  doctrine  ! 

My  friend  took  hold  of  an  expression  in  an  extract  from  Theo- 
doret,  which  I  quoted  yesterday.  I  again  say,  that  his  argument 
would  fail  if  he  believed  in  transuhstantiation.  The  change  in 
which  he  believed,  was  a  moral  change.  I  admit  his  Iangua<^e 
is  strong.     I  shall  read  to  you  another  passage  : — 

"  Jacob,  (says  Orthodoxus,)  called  the  blood  of  the  Saviour  tiie  blood  of 
the  grape.  For,  if  the  Lord  be  denominated  a  vine,  and  if  the  fruit  of  the 
vine  be  called  wine,  and  if  from  the  side  of  the  Lord  fountains  of  blood 
and  water,  circulating  through  the  rest  of  hia  'jody  passed  to  the  lower 
parts  ;  well  and  seasonably  did  the  patriarch  say.  He  washed  his  gannents 
in  wine,  and  his  clothes  in  the  blood  of  grapes.  As  we  then  call  the  mystic 
fruit  of  the  vino  after  its  consecration,  the  blood  of  the  Lord,  so  he  called  the 
blood  of  the  true  vine,  the  blood  of  the  grape.— Our  Saviour  indeed,  chansed 
the  names  ;  for  to  his  body  he  gave  the  name  of  the  symbol,  while  tolhe 
symbol  he  gave  the  name  of  his  blood  ;  and,  having  called  himself  a  vine, 
he  thence  consistently  applied  the  appellation  of  his  blood  to  the  symbol. 
But.  the  scope  of  such  language  is  perfectly  familiar  to  those  who  have  been 
initiated  into  the  mysteries.  For  our  Lord  required  that  they  who  partake  of 
tlie  divine  mysteries,  should  not  regard  the  nature  of  the  things  which  they 
see  ;  Lul  ihat  in  the  change  of  names  they  should  believe  that  change  which 
is  wrought  by  grace.  Inasmuch  as  he  who  called  his  own  natural  body 
wheat  and  bread,  and  wiio  further  bestowed  upon  himself  the  a|)p(!lation  of 
a  vine  ;  he  also  honoured  the  visible  sympols  with  the  name  of  his  body  and 

blood,  NOT    CHANGING    THEIR   NATURE,  BUT    ADDING  GRACE    TC     NATURE."— 

Theod.  Dial,  i,  open  vol.  iv,  p.  17,  18. 

As  to  Pope  Gelasius,  it  does  not  much  matter  whether  the 

work  from  which  I  quoted,  was  written  by  him  or  by  Gelasius 
fi  .  •  •  •,  .1    .  .  .  •'       .  ■' 

l^yisimcus  ;  u  proves  tiiai  opposiliun  was  uiaue  to  transubstan- 

tiation,  a  doctrine  which  was  growing'  at  that  time. 

The  council  of  Chalcedon  decreed,  that  equal  honour  should 


296 


THE    WANT   OF    UNITY   OP 


invariably  augment  this  evil."  '•'PP»y-     instead  o»  lessening,  they 

Here  is  the  opinion  of  a  man  resj)ectin.r  councils  whn  h.A 

himself  been  present  at  the  second  ^neral^coundl     '  ^'^ 

Ihe  Marquess  of  Pescara,  Panan,  who  was  present  at  thp 

Trento  desde  ,56l"hrs?a  qt  if aclbT  >  ittea  brC Pedro  g""^','"  '/ 
Mendoza,  bishop  of  Salamanca.  ^  ^^^'^  Gonzalez  de 

Fiom  the  testimony  of  a  Roman  Catholic,  you  may  judjre  of 
the  purity  and  prmc.ples  by  which  the  Fathe;s  of  the  council  of 
Tren  were  actuated.  Mr.  Maguire  talks  of  inflUlibilitv  beiti^ 
calculated  to  eruJ  divisions.  The  Inquisition  itsef  cannot  sp? 
press  the  mward  feelings  of  the  heart.  The  church  of  Rome 
may  succeed  in  putting  down  outward  dissensions.      But  s^h 

irZu    T  '^Vi  '^'  ^'S''  °^  ^'^^^'^'  '^'^^  i>-'«d  and  ba  keS 
womb  "'  '  "  '"''"'''^  '"'"  '^''  unity  of  her  cavernous 

«h;T*'%''^"!i^^  ""^  ^°"'^'  ^''^"  '"  ^^'  ^°«-^*«d  uniformity  of  wor- 
ship  and  ordinances  .s  not  agreed.     For  instance,  the  church  of 
Abyssmia  oflered  about  210  years  ago,  to  adopt  the  Pope  as 
the  supreme  head  of  the  church.     On  that  occasion  the  court  of 
Rome  djd  not  require  that  the  Abyssinian  ceremonies,  which  were 
quite  different  from  those  of  Rome,  should  be  changed      The 
Pope  received  the  ambassador  from  the  emperor  of  Abyssinia  • 
and  the  pope's  secretary  declared,  that  the  said  emperor  shodd 
always  be  considered  as  the  true  son  of  his  holiness.     Never- 
theless, the  Abysmians  at  that  time  were  Eutychiuns-they  cir- 
cumcised their  children;    they  observed  the  Jewish  sabbaX- 
they  communicated  under  two  kinds-they  did  not  believe  ir! 

ments  «  f"'''''a{  "^^^^f '«"i'  ^^^  rejected  ,he  seven  sacra- 
4^u  Tr  ■''"'''^  Alvarez,  his  description  of  Ethiopia." 
Iho  Maronites  were  also  united  to  the  church  of  Rome, 
because  they  acknowledged  the  Pope's  supremacy ;  still  they 
retained  all  their  own  ceremonies,  which  they  performed  in  their 
own  language.-.(See  the  observations  subjoined  by  Rich.  Simon, 
to  his  French  translation  of  the  Italian  .Ips.nt  nJ^:.,^K.  v.'!!!-  .* 
to  Mount  Libanus,  published  in  12mo.  at  Paris.  See  also  Euseb" 
Kenaudot,  Historia  Patriarch,  Alexand.  p.  548  ) 


On  the 
r  With 
riting  to 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


297 


Further ;  I  charge  Mr.  Maguire  himself,  with  holding  prin- 
ciples contrary  to  his  own  church.  First,  he  says,  that  Protes- 
tants  are  not  heretics.  I  reply,  that  his  church  describes  all 
who  are  out  of  her  pale,  as  "infidels,  heretics,  and  excommuni- 
cated persons."  Dr.  French,  a  Roman  Catholic  bishop  of 
Ferns,  in  his  "Doleful  Fall  of  Andrew  Sail,"  says,  that  the 
church  of  England,  both  priests  and  people,  as  well  secimdam 
prcFsentem  as  secundum  fuiuram  jmtiliam,  are  out  of  the  mysti-al 
aik  of  Christ.  Dr.  O'Keilly,  in  his  catechism,  says,  that  it  is 
necesary  for  the  soul,  on  pain  of  damnation,  to  be  obedient  to 
the  see  of  Rome.  Does  Mr.  Maguire,  by  opposing  this  doc- 
trme,  exemplify  the  unity  of  the  system  ?     Mr.   Maguire  has 

this  day  contradicted  the  principle  which  he  laid  down  before 

namely,  that  it  was  sufficient  for  the  churches  in  communion  with 
Rome  to  agree  in  essentials,  though  not  in  non-essentials :  and 
we  are  now  informed,  that  there  is  no  such  distinction.  The 
church  of  Rome  holds  that  the  scriptures  are  to  be  interpreted 
»•  secundum  sensum  quern  tenet  ecclesia,  et  unanimem  consen- 
sum  patrum,"  according  to  the  opinion  of  the  church,  and  the 
unanimous  consent  of  the  Fathers,  in  matters  of  faith  and 
morals  pertaining  to  the  edification  of  Christian  doctrine  "in 
rebus  fidci  et  morum  ad  Christiana}  doctrinae  ajdificationein 
pertinenlilius." 

As  to  the  anathema  being  annexed  to  none  but  to  articles  of 
faith,  I  refer  to  the  4th  session  of  the  council  of  Trent : 

"It  shall  he  lawful  for  none  to  print,  or  cause  to  be  printed,  any  books  on 
sacred  subjects,  without  the  name  of  the  author,  or  for  the  future  te  sell  them 
or  even  to  keep  tliem,  except  they  be  first  examined  and  approved  of  by  the 
Ordinary,  unUtr  juiin  of  an  anatheina." 

I  should  like  to  know,  was  the  matter  thus  prohibited  an  arti- 
cle of  faith  ?  Again,  in  the  27th  canon  of  the  3d  council  of  La- 
teran,  it  is  said, 

"Therefore,  we  are  resolved  to  subject  to  anathema  all  who  shall  presume 
to  receive  or  shfltorm  their  houses  or  lands  those  who  are  called  Puritans 
Patrins,  or  Ptililicans."  * 

I  should  like  to  know,  whether  this  injunction  related  to  & 
matter  of  faith  ?  My  friend,  in  the  distinction  which  he  has 
drawn,  has  contradicted  the  assembly  of  Jerusalem,  which  Mr. 
Magi'ire  called  the  great  exemplar  of  councils.  That  assembly 
madt  no  decree  on  mailers  of  faith,  as  may  be  seen  by  consulting 
tht  -h  of  Acts.  Mr.  Maguire  has  referred  to  some  cases  cf 
fanaticism.  You  have  doubtless  heard  of  the  revelations  of 
Sister  Nativite.  I  shall  give  you  one  of  her  revelations.  A 
message  With  which,  she  Si  id,  she  was  charged  from  heaven  to 
deliver,  was,  that  her  sister  nuns  should  leave  off"  wearing  linen 
chemises,  and  wear  flannel  ones  again,  in  conformity  to  the 


S98 


THE    WANT    OP   UNITY    OP 


rule  of  their  order !     These  revelations  are  the  production  oi 
which  Dr.  Milner  said, 

"I  cannot  apeak  too  highly  of  the  sublimity  and  afffeting  piety  of  thesa 
revelations  in  generul.,"— See  Revelations  de  la  Soeur  NativM  Paris,  18 J  7. 

This  is  the  work  of  which  an  English  Jesuit  of  our  own  day 
has  observed,  that  if  the  whole  scriptures  were  lost,  all  their 
most  valuable  moral,  doctrinal,  and  theological  science  might 
be  recovered  here,  and  with  interest !  ! 

Did  Mr.  Maguire  never  read  of  the  Feast  of  the  Ass,  that 
was  celebrated  in  several  churches  und  cathedrals  in  France,  in 
the  15th  century  1     The  gross  absurdities  then  practised  would 
exceed  belief,  were  they  not  recorded  by  faithful  witnesses.     A 
young  woman  richly  dressed,  with  an  infant  in  her  arms,  was 
placed  on  an  ass,  and  led  in  great  ceremony  to  the  altar,  where 
high  mass  was  performed ;  and  a  hymn,  replete  with  blasphemy, 
was  sung  in  his  praise  by  the  whole  congregation :  and  what  is 
still  more  remarkable  for  its  folly  and  profanation,  the  priest 
used  at  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony,  as  a  substitution  of  the 
words  with  which  he  dismissed  the  people,  to  bray  three  times 
l:ke  an  ass,  which  was  answered  by  three  simular  brays  by  all 
the  people.     We  have  heard  a  good  deal  about  Johanna  South- 
cote.     Did  Mr.  Maguire  never  hear  that  the  founder  of  the 
order  of  preaching  friars,  founded  also,  in  1216,  an  order  ot 
preaching   sisters.     There   is,  however,  this  great  distinction 
between  the  Protestants  and  the  Roman  Catholic  church,— Pro- 
testants reject  all  such  fanatics  as  Johanna   Southcote ;   the 
church  of  Rome  does  not.     Has  Mr.  Maguire  not  heard  of  St. 
1  eresa  de  Jesus  1     There  is  a  collection  of  sermons  written  in 
Spanish,  by  Francis  Fernando  De  Lara  y  Villamavor,  of  the 
order  of  our  Lady  of  Mount  Carmel :  and  this  book  is  approved 
of  by  the  general  of  his  order,  and  also  by  the  doctors  of  the 
university  of  Alcala,  and  by  his  bishop,  and  by  the  king  of 
Spain's  secretary ;  in  which  there  are  three  sermons  in  eulogy 
ol  the  seraphic  mother  St.  Teresa.     In  one  of  the  discourses 
<he  preacher  informs  us,  how  this  blessed  woman  became  the 
only  female  doctor  that  ever  was  in  the  Catholic  church  •  and 
m  order  that  she  might  obtain  that  honour,  and  as  the  doctors 
ot  Salamanca  hesitated  about  admitting  a  female  to  the  honour 
of^the  doctorate,  he  relates  that  her  chin  was  endowed  with  a 
long  beard,  and  that  the  learned  men  of  that  university,  seeing 
this  phenomenon,  no  longer  hesitated  to  give  her  the  degree. 

"And  thus  (says  the  preacher,)  thou-h  by  nature  she  was  a  woman  vet 
in  prowess  and  by  virtue  of  her  beard  slie  was  a  man,  and  that  onTof  fe 
mnsi  ueafticu  man  tnat  ever  graaualed  in  that  seat  of  iearnin<T.''  " 

The  learned  preacher  then  goes  on  to  prove  from  scripture, 


THE  PROTESTANT  CHURCHES.  299 

that  golomon  had  St.  Teresa  in  his  contemplation  in  the  31st 
chapter  of  Proverbs,  "  who  can  find  a  virtuous  wpman." 

"MuHerem  fortem  quis  inveniet— quien  hallara  una  mu<Ter  fuerte  Val- 
eame  Dios!  tan  dificil  es  hollar  una  muger  fiierte?  Si;  que  no  es  muaer 
luerte  como  querni  de  la  que  habla  la  Tetra— seno  una  nmger  que  sienllo 
luerte,  tuesse  santa,  y  buena,  Mulierem  bonam,  leyo  el  Caldeo— Mulierem 
omni  virtute  cuniulatam,  leyoron  otras,  una  muger  con  todaa  las  vertudes 
iidornada— Mulierem  audacem  ad  res  genendas,  leyo  Baino  una,  mu-'er 
audaz  para  todas  las  impresas— Mulierem  heroinam  Leyeron  otros,  una  mu- 
ger  hero-o  excellentessimo.  Mulierem  virilem,  leyeron  los  Setenta:  una 
muger  varon  en  lo  varonil  mulierem  masculam,  leyo  Vatablo  una  mu-'er 
xMacho  que  explica  mas  que  varon  porque  explica  hcmbre  mui  barbado. 
hssa  es  la  muger  que  pregunta  Solomon  ?  pues  mui  bien  dice,  que  quien  la 
hallara  ?  quis  inveniet  porque  muger  y  con  tantas  prendas  es  mui  dificil  de 
encontrar,  Mulierem  fortem  quis  inveniet." 

The  preacher  then  goes  on  to  ask  in  an  animated  style, 
who  is  this  woman  that  Solomon  has  foretold  should  be  found 
in  the  church  ? 

"  I  will  tell  you,  (says  he,)  since  I  know  what  answer  heaven  has  given 
to  the  question  :  for  on  a  certain  day  while  the  canonization  of  the  Senora 
doctress  was  pending,  as  one  of  the  sisters  of  our  lady  of  Mount  Carmel  was 
wrapt  in  contemplation  of  all  the  praises  the  church  had  lavished  on  this  its 
glorious  saint,  and  as  slie  looked  up  to  heaven  she  saw  a  piece  of  writing  fall 
from  the  skies  at  her  feet;  and  taking  it  up,  she  read  therein,  'Christ'has 
formed  for  himself  a  brave  woman.'  Then  the  daughter  of  our  lady  of  Mount 
Carmel  cried  oiit,'0  sisters,  our  holy  mother  is  the  stout  mother  of  the  church. 
O  lady  and  doctress,  it  well  becomes  you;  our  Mount  Carmel  indeed  en- 
joys the  riches  of  possessing  a  mother  of  such  prowess — the  university  of 
Salamanca  enjoys  the  glory  of  having  you  as  a  graduated  doctress  in  its 
schools ;  our  own  Spain  rejoices  in  having  a  Spanish  woman  such  a  Spanish 
man  in  prowess;  and  the  whole  church  glories  in  having  a  woman  with  a 
beard. — Mulierem  Virilem,  Mulierem  Masculam.'" 

You  shall  nowliuve  a  specimen  of  the  divinity  of  St.  Anthony. 
On  the  text  Matt,  xi,  "Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  &g,"  he 
begins  his  sermon  with  this  question — "What!  are  the  Apos- 
tles then  oxen  ?"  And  the  most  of  his  discourse  is  to  show, 
that  the  Apostles  were  oxen ;  for  seven  reasons,  some  of  which 
are  these, — 

"Because  the  Apostles  were  sent  by  pairs,  like  oxen,  Acts  13,  'Sep- 
arate  to  me  Saul  and  Barnabas,'  &c.  2.  Because  an  ox  is  a  strong  and 
laborious  animal :  so  St.  Paul  says,  'He  laboured  morc'abniidariti\"thjm 
they  all.'  3.  An  ox  spends  little,  though  it  labours  much:  and  one 'of  the 
.Apostles  says,  1  Tim.  6,  'Having  food  and  raiment,  let  us  therewith  be  con- 
tent:' but  some  prelates  in  our  time  are  palfreys,  that  spend  much,  and  labour 
little.  4.  Because  an  ox  has  two  horns;  and  that  which  answers  in  the 
Apostles  to  these  two  horns,  is  doctrine  and  life.  Hence  that  prfjicher  is 
an  unicorn,  who  has  but  one  of  these ;  with  this  horn  preachers  oui;ht  to 
blow,  that  is,  with  good  doctrine  in  preaching;  which  yet  otlen  profits  little, 
unless  it  be  accompanied  with  the  other  horn,  that  is,  good  lifo.  Another 
reason  is,  because  there  is  nothing  in  an  ox  unprofitable;  so  neither  in  the 
life  of  the  Apostles.— Of  Lhe  hide  of  tiie  one,  shoes  are  made,  and  tmrn  the 
conversation  of  tlie  Apostles,  an  example  is  taken,  which  foitiiies  the  allec- 
tions,  as  a  shoe  does  the  feet:  Cant.  7,  'How  beautiful  are  thy  goinns  in 
anoes.' " 


« ni. 


A  post  p.  428 


soo 


THE    WANT    OF    UNITY    OF 


rend.  ^^  ^°"''''"'^'"?  P^^^^S^  «re  expressions,  which  I  c^not 
My  friend  knows  something  of  the  Breviary  of  his  church 
w?rTad'of  irje^r^  extravagant  narratives!    For  in^ti 

Se  ne'ck  nf'h''"-'*;"''" '"  T'"  «"^«-voured  to  sever  thn  deU- 
her  to  Hv.  r     I"'^r  '  ^^'"*''  ^^'"'S  but  half  divided,  allou^d 

Aan  n     5'  ^k'^^  ''^>'''  "*  ^^«  ""^  «^  ^hich  she  died  ! 
of  a  St.        k  '"^''  travelling  to  Corinth,  and  being  in  want 
In  utd  toSe     r^^  onewhichtheladyofacertafn  noble- 
inun  used  to  nde,     The  animal  carried  the  Pope  with  the  great 

b    k'to  hrmf't'"'  "^"•^''^  j^"^"^^  ^-  f/inshed   was'sen 
back  to  his  mistress  :  but  m  vain  did  the  lady  attempt  to  eniov 

the  wonted  services  of  her  favourite  steedf    Th7horse  Ind 

wil,     as  If  (says  the  Breviary,    feeling  indignant  at  having  tn 
carry  a  woman,  since  the  vicar  of  Christ  had^een  o^  his  b  fk  ' 

onlv  nfT  T  •".  ^'«"^t?"^»-«  P'-e«ented  to  the  Pope  worthy 
only  of  such  a  rider.     Brev.  Rom.  die  27  Maii.         ^  ^ 

inis,  gentlemen,  is   the  Breviary  of  the   Rnmnr,  r  ♦u  i- 

.w!  .  .  P  ™  Y'  """""S  "'■dered  a  number  of  lenr.ied  and 
Subtil  '"7"'  "-r <■•''''"'<'  "  ''yhis  bull  ,„„T«  „£, 
cnurcli  all  over  the  world  lo  make  use  of  it.     I  could  also  ,»-.H 

»  E™Z|  urn  V1™"°^  oompo.i.ion,  called  the  Etna  Go  p^t 
tvangelium  iEtemura ;»  but  time  does  not  permit. 

application  of  the  teri^  .s,i:.  inTha'Net''Te".la™e'nf  "Cn" 
Ueraan  seemed  lo  insinuate,  that  I  received  assrslance  in^tWs" 

£r & KTe tt'S-  n^ "Kr f £^ 
^;^rtrdUte„f  th;rei^-:Lr-"- '--" 

..'.Ifn'ic"  *°  *°  ™°"'  ■"■""  «"'P'"'"-     What  B,ble  .„,  I  ,„  ,.k. 

f  I J  "'T^"  '*"  ^'^'*t  a  disjointed  fold— and— nh«     tu^    u         •     ^ 
fold,  and  one  Shepherd.  "^         ana— Ubs.--The  phrase  is,  One 

pen"ed1rLdtrdocr»t  left  t"th'e  rable""""/  '"™^'  '  ■■'>- 
whiohl  have  noticed!  ■wiS-mr^ronrt  '^^ZtX^t 


■V 


I 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


SOI 


TJuf  K  ''''•'^^'^^^  '"jfhis  very  room,  when  a  gentleman,  who 
shall  be  here  nameless,  furnished  such  suggestions  to  him.  His 
renrjark  about  the  salt  was,  perhaps,  the  strongest  point  which  he 
made,  and  this  presents  itself  in  the  notes  before  us. 
►  He  says  he  quoted  a  passage,  by  which  my  ignorance  of 
icnpture  was  exposed.  Pardon  me  for  here  remarking  that  I 
have  read  at  least  the  Douay  Teslament  with  some  aftention, 
lor  the  purpose  of  making  a  convparison  between  it  and  the 

referedTsil'^'"''"""     ^^^  ^^"^""^'^  ^"^  '^^'''^  ^''  Maguire  has 

The  Protestant  version  reads, 

"  No  man  knoweth  either  hate  or  love." 

I  ask  any  man  to  compare  this  Douay  translation  with  the 
Protestant  version,  and  he  will  discover  the  difference  to  be  so 
great,  as  considerably  to  change  the  sense.  Let  both  be  com- 
pared with  the  original,  and  I  will  venture  to  say  that  the  Pro- 
testant  version  is  correct. 

Mr.  Maguire  called  upon  Mr.  Pope  to  read  the  rest  of  the 
passage. 

Mr.  Pope  observed,  I  cannot  occupy  my  time  in  doin?  so. 

We  are  drawing  to  the  termination  of  the  discussion.     I  have 
brought  forward  fair  and  undeniable  facts,  showing  that  the 
church  of  Rome  IS  oflen  opposed  to  the  church  of  Rome,  dortor 
against  doctor,  Pope  against  Pope,  in  proof  that  the  unity,  boas- 
ted  of,  does  not  exist,  and  that  the  church  of  Rome  is  not  infal- 
lible.    If,  as  I  have  proved,  the  church  of  Rome  contradicts 
herself,  inasmuch  as  two  contradictions  cannot  be   true— the 
church  of  Rome  cannot  be  infallible.     Her  infallibility  there- 
tore  goes  to  the  ground,  and  all  the  superstructure  raised  upon 
It.     Nor  IS  this  all.     This  pretension  to  infallibility  is  the  null- 
stone  about  her  neck,  which,  though,  "she  sit  as  a  queen  upon 
the  waters,"  w. I  sink  her  ir.to  the  abyss.     Her  doctrine  must 
be  brought  to  the  test  of  revelation,  and  the  ri^^ht  of  private 
judgment  must  be  recognized.     My  friend  has  himself  departed 
from  the  system  of  the  church  of  Rome,  and  has  brought  her 
principles  to  the  bar  of  private  judgment,  and  thereby  given  a 
practical  proof  of  the  unity  which  exists  in  the  church  of  Rome. 
1  received  yesterday  evening  a  letter  from  the  Rev.  Prince 
Crawford,  Curate  of  St.  Mary's,  Donnybrook  ;  permit  me  to 


at  yZlt^f   '    7^   u"F  '^""^  '"  ^^^  P?**''^  P^P«"  a  reporter  the  controversy 
at  present        Hing  between  you  and  Mr.  Maguire,  in  which  he  in  a  most 

26 


^'^2  THE    WANT    OP    UNITV    OP 

decided  mrnnor  denies  that  he  iitterod  any  thing  at  the  Carrick  mctuna 
M-hich  could  bo  considered  as  a  challenge,  /beg  Co  state  that  S.Kcl 

SlSTarh^J"''  the  gentleman  who  "reported  the  proce^^ingTof 
ujat  meeting,  that  he  expressed  considerable  surprise  at  Mr.  INIa^uire's  denial 
Ivl  K   ^/!f  """'^  unequivocal  manner,  declar^,  tlmt  aRer  theCetinirwai 
S     i"r  'T''''^  ''■^''■"•^  *«  *^«  ''°^'^''  ^^'  ^he  purpose  of  a^anahT^Z 
notes;  that  while  so  engaged.  Mr.  Maguire  entered  the  room,  "TjoiT    he 
reporter  observed  to  hin^,  that  he  had  now  brought  Mr  Pope  on  his  back  Vn 
he  had  given  a  direct  challenge  to  him,  and  thafa  meeting  was  ,„  avoidable  " 
That  then  the  reporter  read  his  notes  as  they  have  appeared  in  prinr Xn 
J^H^frr?  M"°r'T^S«  them  to  be  a  faith^ful  statement  of  I  is  words  a^d 
added  that  what  he  had  said  he  would  stand  to,  and  that  though  alllhe  sons 
of  Adam  were  congregated  against  him,  he  would  not  fear  them.     There! 
porter's  name  is  -— -  -.    And  as  I  am  an  advocate  for  truth,  you  have  every 
permission  to  use  this  document  as  you  may  think  proper.  ^ 

.,n  r,  ^ ';einain,  dear  Sir,  your's  very  faithfully 

•*Privce  Crawford,  Curate  of  St.  Mary's  Donnybiook." 

My  ccrrespoti'lent  mentions  the  name  of  the  reporter.     I  feel 
It  unnecessary  to  give  it  on  this  public  occasion.     My  friends 
you  can  determine  whether  a  system,  which  has  recourse  to  such 
expedients  to  support  itself,  can  be  from  God.     And  here  I  bee 
eave  to  notice  an  assertion  of  Mr.  Eneas  M'Donnell,  made  to 
wo  gentlemen,  whose  names  can  be  given— "  that  at  Ballinas- 
loe,  atter  a  policeman  had  run  his  bayonet  into  M'Donnell's  lee 
I  cheered  him  to  go  on."     The  whole  is  false.     J  did  not  stii^ 
from  my  place,  and  would  willingly  have  prevented,  as  far  as 
my  ability  m,ght  have  enabled   me,  the  police  from  doing  an 
injury  to  any  Roman  Catholic,  if  such  had  been  intended.     In 
reference  to  Cavan,  you  have  read  in   the  public  prints  the 
var  ous  contradictions  of  statements  put  forward  by  ecclesiastics 
of   he  church  of  Rome.     Now  I  ask  you  as  honest  men,  can 
that  system  have  proceeded  from  the  God  of  truth,  which  has 
recourse  to  sucn  manoeuvring,  and  adopts  principles  of  action 
so  contradictory  to  the  tenor  of  the  holy  writ  ? 

Mr.  Maguire.— I  imagined  after  Mr.  Pope  had  apologized 
for  the  Mitoierable  language  which  he  made  use  of  yesterday_I 
thought  that  after  apologizing  in  the  presence  of  that  God  whose 
name  he  so  often  invokes,  he  would  not  have  indulged  in  similar 
irascib-hty,  and  that  we  should  not  have  had  from  him  another 
display  of  the  sp  een.     t  appeal  to  the  meeting,  to  say  whether 
I   have  not  conducted  myself  with  good  temper  towards  Mr. 
Pope  during  this  discussion-I  appeal  to  the  meeting,  if  I  have 
betrayed  the  same  irascibility  towards  him.     Mr.  Pope  brought 
forward  a  document  to  prove  that  I  had  received  assistance 
duriPg  this  discussion,  and  that  suggestions  were  handed  to  mo 
by  a  gentleman  whom  it  was  unnecessary  for  him  to  name.     A 
H       -'•  -  •  ;"«''^»  ^^5"  •■'et  y..u  ngm  on  me  subject,    i  neglected 
-*  the  first  day  of  this  discussion  to  take  notes-    I  thought  my 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


SOS 


! every 


memory  would  preserve  the  heads  of  the  arguments  advnnced 
Some  notes  wore  taken  for  me  by  Mr.  0'Connell_l,ut  I  declare 
solenmly  that  I  never  saw  a  Hno  or  syllable  of  the  document 
now  produced  by  Mr.  Pope.     I  never  got  a  hmt  about  S 
argument  on  the  salt  of  the  earth.     Though  I  do  not  unauine 
myself  a  great  scholar,  I  do  not  think  there  are  many  at  this 
meeting  vvho  knew  moje  of  that  particular  point  than  I   did 
nysell.     Mr.  P.,pe  has  acknowledged  that  it  was  one  of  ihe 
best  hits  which  I   made  against  him.     It  was  he  himsHf  who 
introduced  the  subject.    I  am  .orry  that  Mr.  Pope  will  not  allow 
tins  meeting  to  pass  over  with  the  regularity  which  distinguished 
It  from  the  commencement,  but  that  a  drop  of  the  poisoned 
cha  ice  must  be  infused  into  our  good  humour.     With  recard 
to  the  reporter  of  the  meeting  at  Carrick-on-Shannon,  I  repeat 
What  I  have  already  publicly  stated  in  the  newspapers,  and  I  am 
satished  to  abide  the  result,  that  I  never  authorized  the  report  in 
question,  and  that  1  had  no  communication  with  the  person  who 
reported  the  proceedings  of  that  meeting.     I  knew  when  I  made 
this  statement  at  the  commencement  of  this  discussion,  that 
there  were  many  persons  in  Carrick-on-Shannon,  who  would  be 
glad  to  detect  me  in  stating  what  was  not  the  fact.     I  now 
appeal,  with  confidence,  to  the  Protestants  who  were  present  at 
the  meeting  in  Cariick-on-Shannon,  whether  my  statement  be 
not  correct.     The  fact  is,  that  save  during  that  meeting,  I  have 
never  seen  the  reporter,  except  when  coming  to  Dublin  on  the 
outside  of  the  Longford  coach.     And  I  here^declare  that,  in  the 
presence  ot  (our  Protestants  the  challenge  of  Mr.  Pope  was  put 
into  my  hands.     I  now  return  to  the  subject  of  our  discussion  • 
1  repeatedly  called  upon  Mr.  Pope  to  show  from  scripture  a 
distinction  between  essentials  and  non-essentials.  I  have  already 
proved  to  you,  that  in  the  passage  quoted  from  St.  Paul,  there 
was  no  diiference  made  between  doctrine  and  discipline,  but 
that  the  disputes  amongst  the  people  relative  to  the  superiority 
ot  their  preachers,  formed  a  breach  of  charity  which  the  Apostle 
would  not  tolerate.     Mr.  Pope  says  that  Peter  denied  Christ, 
and  upon  this  fact  he  argues  tL  d  Peter  could  not  be  infallible  ; 
but  he  makes  no  distinction  between  the  commission  of  sin,  and 

a  breach  of  divine  faith.     Christ  says  to  Peter 

"Simon,  Simon,  behold  Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift 
vou  as  wheat.  But  1  have  prayed  for  thee  that  thy  faith  fail  not :  and  thou 
being  once  converted,  confirm  thy  brethren." 

That  is  when  converted  from  the  sin  which  he  had  committed, 
he  was  to  confirm  his  brethren.     Here  our  Saviour  tells  us  that 

the    faith  of  Peter  shnnlrl    nnt   fnil        "IVTrw..,    ^liU^^    T> -.*_„» .    r  .•.I_ 
^  .,     ,  .     J.J  "   ■    •••-",  vitiivi    i  ciBi  3    laiui 

tailed,  or  it  did  not— if  it  failed,  we  must  suppose  that  the  prayer 
of  our  Saviour  to  his  heavenly  Father  was  inefficacious.     My 


804 


THE    WANT    OF    UNkTT    OF 


friend  hau  reminded  me  of  Theodoiet.  1  re-assert,  that  in  the 
quotation*  rend  by  Mr.  Pope  from  Theodoret,  the  wcid  '*  vene- 
rate" is  substituted  for  the  word  "  udore" — whiit  is  the  fact  I 
Theodoret  wrote  four  books  against  the  EutychianH,  who  denied 
the  rcahty  of  the  human  nutun-  in  Christ,  in  which  he  introduces 
two  persons  under  the  names  of  Orthodoxu:)  and  Erranistes, 
who  mutually  discuss  the  subject — the  first  is  the  Catholic 
believer — the  second  the  Eutychian  advocate.  In  the  first 
dialogue  the  reality  of  Christ's  presence  in  the  Eucharist,  other- 
wise the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation,  hud  been  established : 
but  in  the  second  the  subject  is  resumed,  and  the  change  of  the 
bread  ond  wine  distinctly  pointed  out — the  first  question  is  put 
by  Orthodoxus.     He  asks  Errunistes  : — 

Orthodox. — "Tell  me  now;  tho  mystical  symbols  wliich  are  offered  to 
God  by  the  priests  of  what  are  they  the  symbols  ?" 

Erranistbs. — "Or  the  bodt  and  blood  or  the  Lord." 

Or. — "Of  his  true  bo<ly  or  not?" 

Err.— "Of  his  true  body." 

Or. — "  Very  well ;  for  every  image  must  have  its  original." 

Err. — "I  am  happy  you  have  mentioned  the  divine  mysteries:  teil  me, 
therefore,  what  you  do  call  the  gift  that  is  olTered  before  the  Priest's  invo- 
cation ?" 

Or. — "  This  must  not  be  said  openly,  for  some  may  be  present  who  are  not 
initiated." 

Err. — "  Answer  then  in  hidden  terms." 

Or. — "Wo  call  it  an  aliment  of  certain  grains." 

Err. — "And  how  do  you  call  the  other  symbols?" 

Or. — "  We  give  it  a  name  that  denotes  a  certain  beverage." 

Err. — "And  after  the  consecration  what  a«  they  called  ?" 

Or.—"  The  body  of  Christ,  and  the  blood  of  Christ." 

Err. — "  jiera  Seys  Tov  aytaa/tov,  « 

Or.—"  cru^a  ^ptarov,  xat  atfia  ^piarov.  -.    ■ 

Err. — "  And  you  believe  that  you  partake  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ !" 

Or.—"  So  I  believe." 

Err. — "  As  the  symbols  then  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  were  different 
before  tlie  consecration  of  the  Priest,  and  after  that  consecration  are  changed, 
in  the  same  manner  we  (Eutychians)  say  the  body  of  Christ  after  his  ascen.. 
sion  was  changed  into  the  divine  essence." 

Or. — "Thou  art  taken  in  thip  '  wn  net;  for  after  the  consecration  the 
mystical  svmbols  lose  not  their  pi oper  nature ;  they  renain  in  th^  former 
substance,  ria;ure,  and  appcarancr,  or  s  s  'c  e  transfal*  '■,  ai  the  shape  and 
form  of  ino  former  substance,)  t.  f>ef<e?a  eu'J  understood  to  be  what  they 
have  been  made ;  this  they  are  believed  to  be ;  and  as  such  they  are  adored." 

Thus  Theodoret  turned  the  comparison  of  Eutyches  (who  be- 
lieved in  transubstantiation)  against  himself — viz :  that  as  the 
elements  of  bread  and  wine  remained  after  consecration  so  as 
to  be  seen  and  felt — that  is,  as  far  as  the  senses  were  con- 
cerned ;  so  Christ's  humanity  did  remain  after  its  hypostatical 
union  with  his  divinity. 

i  Mr.  Pope  begs  to  say,  with  Mr.  Magulre's  concurrence,  that  he  gave  the  passan 
from  Theodoret,  as  he  found  it  translated  in  Faber's  '  Difficulties  of  Uornanism."- 
Lond.  1826.  p.  141. 


hat  in  the 
id  "  verie- 

the  fact? 
ho  detiied 
introduces 
Crrunistes, 
1  Catholic 

the  first 
rist,  other- 
tabhshed : 
iv^e  of  tho 
tion  IS  put 

re  offered  to 


Bs:  teil  mo, 
riest's  iiivo- 

who  arc  not 


lofClirisl!'* 

■ere  flUn;rent 
ire  changed, 
;r  hid  asccii» 

ecratjon  the 
1  thv;  former 
e  sliape  and 
D  what  they 
are  adored." 

5  (who  be- 
h;it  as  the 
tion  so  as 
were  con- 
I'postatical 


e  the  passagt 
lornanism."- 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES.  305 

n..^'***  ''!'''??*.'"  *^^  *'°""<^''  °^  Ephes-is  having  decreed  tnal 
nothu..  «hon  d  bo  added  to  what  had  been  deterfnin^' I'n  bv 
ho  ro,u.cd  ot  N.ce,  I  agree  that  it  did  no.  But  will  a  be Taid 
that  when  other  articles,  be.side«  those  noticed  in  The  council  of 
N.ce  happened  to  be  denied  by  heretics,  that  such  a  'ides 
should  not  be  determined  and  explained  by  other  and  succeed 
mg  councds?     Accordn.g  to  the  same  line  of  argument  as  til 

sd  m'?h:  f """''  ""'ir  """••«"^^  "^  the  co^uncd  of  Jo  t! 
'nTi'     A      "T  ""'^^^  '•""«  '^•^g"^'  that  it  should  not  bo 
ntroduced  at  the  council  of  Nice.     The  council  of  EphLus 
only  meant  that  nothu.g  was  to  be  added  to  what  had  been  com 
manded  by  our  Sav.our,  and  handed  down  to  us  by  the  Apostl^ 

ad  L  tlirh^sf'  "r""  ^  ''''''  '^^'^^^^  •"  *he  Cathrhcst 
read  t  vo.,  ; ''''  •  ""'^  ^?-^^'".  ""^  *"  ^'  consecrated.  I  will 
read  to  you  the  opinion  ol  no  less  a  man  than  the  celebrated 
Pro  extant  d.vme,  Dr.  Thorndyke,  on  the  subject : 

charS  <W  S^kT?'" wSf'^r"''''^''  ""•'  ^.'  ''°"°""  »'-  '^'«'"''"'«  of  the  Eu. 

lestaart-.e^nr"'''^^"-"  '^  '-t,  are  gliritfonklVt^y/olirieSV^c^ 
But  when  the  ancient  idolaters  prayed  to  Baal  and  their  idols, 
(stmulacra,  dumb  thmgs,  as  they  are  called  in  holv  writ)  prove 
to  me  hat  they  only  intended  to  worship  God,  and'not  the  idols 
themselves,  when  they  offered  up  adoration  to  them,  and  I  Ihal 
give  up  the  argument.  Let  Mr.  Pope  show,  if  he  car^,  by  prope 
documents  that  I  have  contradicted  Catholic  doctri.eTandTe 

IZdlT^r  ^r^i°  '"^p^*^  ^'^"^  ^'"^-h  he  does  no't  Td  r- 
stand.  I  could  quote  thnty  Protestant  writers  to  disprove  the 
charge  of  idolatry  agamst  the  Ilo.nan  Catholic  church,  showin^! 
hat  even  .f  the  elen.ents  of  the  sacrament  do  not  unde  ao^a 
transubstant.at.on  Catholics  are  not  guilty  of  idolatry's  their 
worship  ,s  directed  to  Christ,  into  whose  body  and  blood  they 
believe  the  elements  have  been  transubstantiuLl.  I  have  her^ 
the  dialogue  of  Theodoret,  and  I  shall  repeat  his  words- 

by^l^'priestV"^'"  ""'  "''  ^'^^  "^  *'"  ™>«^'^"'  ^^'"bols  offered  to  God 

S"*  u  oT-I'-T"  °[  ^^.^  ^°^y  «"''  ^>'o«d  of  the  Lord." 
Ur.— "  CM  hi3  true  body  or  not  ?" 

Enn.— "Of  his  true  body." 

ERn~"<^A7H'''l>" '  ?"■  ^'""'y  '""^=«  """^t  have  its  oriainal." 
Or  ~Th2  K^  ?^^^9"^e'=™/«>n  what  are  they  called'/" 
Ur.—    The  body  of  Christ,  and  the  blood  of  Christ" 

Again,  he  asserts  that  I  said,  that  the  Catholics  are  agreed 
only  m  essentials,  and  that  I  confined  my  statement  to  thai  ^ 
nro  n  r   ir^"  7V  T'  f'"""^'>  ^"*^'"'  ^"'"it  fven  m  discipline  they 

Zrlt  M  K^'T""'  ^"''  '^'  ^"'^"^•-  'he  cause  of  di.put* 

the  greater  would  be  the  scandal,  because  the  less  justifiable. 

26* 


806 


THE   WANT    OP    UNITF    CP 


Mr.  Pope  ha»  quoted  Dr.  Milner.     When  he  can  produce  a 
passage  from  the  great  Dr.   Milner  opposed  to  any  point  of 
Cathohc  doctrine,  he  will  be  an  extraordinary  man  indeed.     He 
also  gave  us  a  quotation  from  a  second  Blanco  White.     I  appeal 
to  this  ineetmg  whether  it  be  fair  to  produce  those  men  as  wit- 
nesses against  the  Catholic  church,  who  have  apostatized  from 
her  communion,  and  who,  in  order  to  justify  their  apostasy, 
endeavour  to  blacken  the  church  which  they  have  deserted,  m 
every  possible  way— men  who  endeavour  to  exhibit  her  as  the 
scarlet  lady  ol  the  seven  hills,  and  lier  visible  head  as  anti-christ? 
J3y-the-bye,  the  latter  elegant  phrases  are  not  so  much  in  vo<rue 
at  the  present  day,  nor  so  frequently  employed    against  'the 
Catholic  church  as  they  were  in  the  dfiys  of  the  reformers.     It 
is  wonderful  to  see  how  people  will  retrace  their  steps,     in  the 
early  >.nglish  Protestant  translations  of  the  Bible,  congregation 
was  used  tor  the  word  church,  and  elder  for  bishop.     But  when 
the  Protestants  got  possession  of  the  tithes  and  green  acres, 
church  and  bishop  were  restored  in  the  Bible.     Is  it  not  very 
foolish,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  for  Mr.  Pope  to  go  over  all  the 
antiquated   stories  which  he  is  enabled   to   collect   from   the 
painphlets  of  such  men  as  Gideon  Ousley,  and  to  bring  forward 
such  new-hghts  as  authorities  against  the  Catholic  church  '     I 
could  have  quoted  a  passage  from  the  Rev.  Sydney  Smith, 
worth  all  the  arguments  which  he  could  produce,  relative  to  the 
persecutions  which  the  Catholics  suffered   from  the  early  re- 
formers ;  but  I  have  not,  throughout  this  discussion,  made  any 
appeal  to  the  feelings  of  my  Catholic  auditors,  and  I  shall  not 
do  so  now. 

Mr.  Pope  talked  of  St.  Teresa,  and  related  some  wonderful 
stones  about  her  long  beard.  I  suppose  he  would  have  us  con- 
elude,  that  because  St.  Teresa  was  long  bearded,  the  Catholic 
religion  cannot  be  true.  I  deny  the  authority  which  he  has 
quoted.  I  refer  him  to  the  life  of  St.  Teresa,  as  given  in  the 
Lives  of  the  Saints,  by  Alban  Butler— he  will  not  find  recorded 
there  the  ridiculous  stories  which  he  has  retailed  to  us.  He 
ackno\vledges  that  he  did  not  know  that  there  was  such  a  text 
in  the  Douay  Bibie  as  «'  No  man  knoweth  whether  he  be  worthy 
of  love  or  hatred."  Did  he  not  tell  us  that  he  had  carefully 
compared  the  two  translations,  and  did  he  not  describe  the  Vul- 
gate 'ds  scalurienlem  erroribiis? 

tie  now  acknowledges  his  ignorance  of  the  existence  of  this 
text  m  the  Douay  Bible.  Now  the  version  given  of  this  text  in 
the  Douay  Bible  differs  not  materially  nor  substantially  from  that 
given  01  It  in  the  Protestant  translation.     It  is  there  rendered, 

"Man  knoweth  not  love  or  hatred  by  aU  that  ia  before  him." 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES.  S07 

Hear  the  next  verse — 

"But  all  things  are  kept  uncertain  for  the  time  to  Cuffic,  becatisc  all  fhin^t 
cqua  ly  happen  to  the  just  and  to  the  wicked,  to  the  good  and  to  the  evil,  to 
the  clean  and  to  the  unclcMn,"  &c. 

There  is  I  contend  in  these  passages,  ao  nfiterial  differences 
between  the  Protestant  version  and  the  Douay  Bible.    Mr.  Pope 
has  showed  his  ignorance  of  the  solemn  expression  always  used 
by  a  general  council  in  defining  articles  of  failh,  and  he  con- 
founds with  it  the  fornnula  of  an  excommunication.     When  an 
article  of  faith  is  declared  by  a  general  council,  it  is  solemnly 
decreed,  "  Si  qiiis  dixerit ;    if  any  one  shall  contradict  this, 
anathema  sit."     But  where  that  formulary  is  not  employed,  and 
the  mere  excommunication  pronounced,  it  does  not  regard  mat- 
ters of  faith.     Had  Mr.  Pope  consulted  Delahogue,  with  whose 
work  he  pretends  to  be  so  intimately  acquainted,  he  would  find 
the  phrase,  si  guts  dixerit,  is  never  employed   by  a  general 
council,  but  when  an  article  of  faith  is  defined.     I  should  be 
sorry  that  any  personal  diflTerences  should  exist  between  me  and 
my  friend,  Mr.  Pope.     I  declare  that  I  have  no  feelings  towards 
him,  but  those  of  a  Christian,  a  brother,  and  a  gentleman  ;  and 
that  I  shall  never  hear  him  spoken  of  disrespectfully  without 
defending  his  character.    I  trust  that  I  shall  never  entertain  any 
other  towards  him.     I  will  say,  and  it  is  as  far  as  I  can  go,  that 
no  man  ever  maintained  his  opinions  more  ingeniously,  or  set 
up  a  more  plausible  defence.     It  was  to  me  a  cause  of  regret 
that  the  interrogatory  system  had  not  been  adopted  in  this  dis- 
cussion, as  I  would  then  have  had  an  opportunity  of  taking  Mr. 
Pope's  arguments  seriatim,  point  by  point,  and  of  unravelling 
his  sophisms.     Mr.  Pope  talked  of  the  Catholic  church  having 
fallen  into  error,  and  yet  he  admits  Ihat  this  erroneous  church 
has  been  suffered  tn  exist  for  eighteen  hundred  years.     This 
gentleman   really  appears  to  have  acquired   more  confidence 
after  his  six  or  seven  years  preaching,  than  the  whole  Catholic 
church  for  eighteen  hundred  years.     It  has  long  been  the  cus- 
tom of  the  reformers,  and  of  those  who  were  gifted  with  internal 
illumination,  to  talk  of  the  scarlet  lady,  seated  upon  the  seven 
hills.     How  could  a  church  have  thus  subsisted  for  eighteen 
centuries,  if  error  had  formed  its  corner  stone  and  foundation? 
Have  we  ever  read  or  heard  of  any  system  either  in  politics,  or 
in  religion,  lasting  for  such  a  period  of  time,  unless  it  was 
founded  upon  the  best  principles  1 

I  may  now  mention  that  I  put  seven  queries  to  Mr.  Pope  to 
any  one  of  which  he  has  not  returned  even  the  semblance  of  an 
answer.  I  asked  him  why  he  believed  that  all  truths  are  con- 
tained in  the  scripture;  I  then  inquired  from  him  by  wha* 
authority  the  sign  of  the  cross  was  employed  in  baptism  ?     1 


808 


THE    WANT    OP    UNITY  OF 


aske^J  h,m  why  he  used  blood-though,  indeed,  he  had  endea- 
votircd  to  draw  a  distinction  between  the  red  gravy  which  flows 
from  a  shoulder  of  mutton,  and  the  blood-(of  the  particles  of 
winch  that  gravy  is  most  unquestionably  composed.)     I  confess 
myself  unable  to  understand  his  metaphysical  distinction.     Per- 
haps he  goes  upon  the  maxim  that  odia  sunt  reslrinsrenda.     I 
calle^d  upon  him  to  show  why  he  did  not  wash  the  f?et  of  his 
neighbours ;  Peter,  we  know,  said  to  Christ :  "  Lord,  thou  shalt 
not  wash  my  feet"-our  Saviour  replied  :  « If  I  wash  thee  not, 
thou  Shalt  have  no  part  with  me."     I  called  upon  Mr.  Pope  to 
prove  the  procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  from  the  scripture  ?     I 
called  upon  hun  to  show  where  the  term  *^  consubstantial"  was 
employed  m  scripture?     I  called  upon  him  to  show  where  the 
baptism  of  infants  was  authorized  by  scripture.     I  demanded  an 
answer  to  these  several  queries.    He  has  certainly  evaded  them. 
Judge,  candid  and  enlightened  Protestants,  if  he  has  quoted  as 
many  texts  of  scripture  as  I  have.     There  is  not  an  article  of 
my  belief  in  support  of  which  I  did  not  adduce  clear  and  most 
manifest  texts  of  scripture.     Has  Mr.  Pope  done  so  1     He  has 
quoted  some  texts  of  scripture  against  me,  but  not  one  to  esta- 
blish his  own  rule  of  faith.     He  thought  proper  to  substitute  for 
the  word  of  God,  the  fallible  interpretation  of  man- to  appeal 
from  the  direct  evidence  of  scripture,  to  the  obscure  and  gJim- 
mering  light  of  private  judgment.     Beware  of  following  such  an 
i^msjatuus,  when  the  meridian  sun  is  before  you— it  will  lead 
you  into  marshes  and  the  habitations  of  error— it  will  never 
conduct  you  to  the  fountain  of  truth.     I  have  quoted  the  opin- 
ions of  the  holy  Fathers,  and  I  am  bold  to  say,  that  I  prefer  their 
opinions  to  the  single  opinion  of  Mr.  Pope.    I  ha-e  read  to  you 
the  opinion  of  St.  Augustin,  who  declares  that  he  "would  not 
be  leve  the  four  gospels  if  the  authority  of  the  Catholic  church 
did  not  move  hnn  thereto.     This  recalls  to  my  mind  the  saying 
ot  St   Cyprian,  that  he  has  not  God  for  his  Father  who  has  not    ' 
he  Church  for  his  mother.     This  Mr.  Pope  asserts  was  applied 
to  Pope  Stephen.     The  work  of  Cyprian  lies  here  on  the  table, 
and     challenge  Mr.  Pope  to  read  twenty  lines  of  the  page  in 
which  this  passage  occurs,  and  then  to  maintain  his  opinion  as 
before.     1  he  passage  of  St.  Cyprian  has  been  misrepresented 
by  niy  friend.     Again,  I  called  upon  him  to  answer  the  objections 
of  the  bocmian,  without  manifestly  contradicting  the  principles 
of  private  judgment.     Reason  is  on  the  side  of  the  Socinian  • 
and  mysteries  bemg  above  reason,  he  has  a  better  rioht  to  exer-' 
cise  his  private  judgment  than  Mr.  Pope,  of  which  belt  observed. 


p.iinnn 


A  o\a 


I  woulu  answer  the  Soci- 


man  byjhe  authority  of  a  church  which  has  existed  for  ei<rhteen 
hundred  years.     If  he  would  not  believe  in  that  authority,  I,  at 


THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES. 


S09 


was 


■11  events,  would  not  contradict  myself,  as  I  would  not  concede 
to  h  m  the  right  of  private  judgment.  Not  so  Mr.  Pope.  The 
very  fact  of  his  pressing  his  interpretation  upon  the  Socinian 
contradicts  the  principles  of  private  judgment,  as  he  thus  endea- 
vours to  make  a  monopoly  of  that  which  he  himself  describes  aa 
the  gift  of  heaven. 

I  defied  Mr.  Pope  to  show  how  a  Protestant  according  to  his 
principles  could  make  an  act  of  faith.     He  has  not  done  so.     I 
admit  the  exercise  of  private  judgment  in  discovering  the  marks 
of  the  true  church,  but  the  moment  the  inquirer  has  made  that 
discovery,  that   instant  all  difficulties  are  cleared   away— all 
objections  vanish— and  he  is  enabled   to  laugh  to  scorn  the 
quibbles  of  the  Atheist,  the  Deist,  and  the  unbeliever.     Talk 
of  internal  evidence,  indeed— why  you  might  as  well  tell  the 
Pagan  that  2  and  2  make  6— he  can  never  make  the  discovery. 
I  never  could  make  the  discovery.     Millions  upon  millions  of 
Christians  have  lived  and  died  without  ever  discovering  this 
mternal  illumination  of  which  Mr.   Pope  has  so  confidently 
spoken.     The  Catholic  church  rejects  this  igniis  fatuus,  and 
with  equal  justice  and  wisdom  she  discards  and  condemns  the 
principle  of  private  judgment.     According  to  that  principle,  as 
1  have  already  shown,  it  would  be  impossible  to  establish  by 
clear  and  unexceptionable  argument,  the  authorihj,  the  integrity, 
and  the  inspiration  of  the  sacred  scriptures. 


Here  the  Discussion  ended.  When  Mr.  Maguire  had  taken  iiis  seat  Mr. 
Pope  rose  and  shook  h»u  by  the  hand,  which  was  cordially  returned  by  Mr 
Maguire.  ■' 

Mr.  Pope  then  stated  to  the  meetins;,  that  he  had  that  moment  been  in- 
^rmed  by  Admiral  Oliver  that  the  notes  and  suggestions  of  which  he,  Mr. 
Pope,  had  spoken,  though  taken  down,  had  not  been  seen  by  Mr.  Maguire. 


Counsellor  Clinch  declined  to  give  an  opinion  touching  the  word  uotvi. 

Mr.  Pope  added  to  the  Report  this  note;— "I  beg  to  say,  in  reference  to 
the  statement  concerning  Stephen,  that  Cyprian  strongly  reprehends  him  as 
•endeavouring  to  assert  the  cause  of  heretics  against  the  church  of  God,'  but 
applies  the  words  'he  has  not  God,'  &c.  to  the  heretics  of  whom  he  speaks 
and  not  to  him.     Cyprian.— Open  Ep.  74.  ad  Pompeium.  Oxford,  1682.        * 

"Richard  T.  P.  Pope." 

Mr.  Maguire  added  the  following :—"  In  the  description  of  the  council  of 
Basil,  the  Arians  who  disturbed  the  council  of  Rimini,  are  mentioned  throucb 
nuBtake.  T.  Maguire."° 


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